End Game
by HacknSlashinate
Summary: Naomi's a freelancer working for an organisation for hire any job for a price, but shes also a woman with a purpose, an end game.  How will the introduction of two new agents change everything.  AU Fic Naomily with most Gen 2 cast.
1. Extraction Point

Skins isnt mine yada yada yada...

* * *

Naomi sat with her arms crossed impatiently drumming her fingers in a rhythmic fashion. This was the part she hated, the waiting, waiting for the latest mission that Vendetta decided to send her on. She sighed almost dramatically and crossed her legs and swapped to start tapping her foot against the leg of the table instead.

Finally the door to the room flew open and Ames stormed in, for a moment Naomi repressed the look of contempt that would have crossed her features, instead replaced it with something akin to disinterest.

He set his laptop down and began typing away furiously and before she knew it two almost identical faces were looking down on her from the screen, brown eyes and brown hair, long - past their shoulders, one with a round face and the other thinner, she couldn't help noticing that they were stunning, the both of them.

Instantly Ames lifted his gaze and stood brushing his already pristine suit down unnecessarily before he began pacing back and forth.

"Agents Kilo and Echo" He instructed whilst jabbing a finger towards the screen. "Deep cover operatives whose identities have been compromised." Naomi watched as he shook his head "We can't send a team in for extraction, it's too risky and the information held by the agents is far too great to risk by drawing attention to them with a large scale operation."

Naomi looked closer at him, he seemed rather agitated she realised that this must be a pretty important job to get Ames worked up quite so much, she watched as he clicked the button in his hand before she moved her gaze back to the screen that was now showing a map of the area.

"Both agents are here" another click and the screen zoomed in on the location "a hotel just outside the city, our intel suggests that one of the agents is injured and that there are teams scouring the local area in search to eliminate them, we fear their position may be located shortly, which is why were sending you both in tonight."

Naomi watched as he began pacing again back and forth. "Your cover will be as residents at the hotel, a reservation will be made under an Alias of your choosing, once inside you are to locate the agents and make the extraction at the first available opportunity"

Naomi continued to stare at the screen assessing the area, with a another click the imaged changed now showing two highlighted points on the map, one north heading towards the city and the other slightly to the west.

"Two extraction points have been arranged, it's imperative that we get the intel from these agents which is why we've decided to split them up. Oracle you will take the injured agent to the closest extraction point whereby a vehicle will be waiting." Naomi watched as he pointed to the site just west of and relatively close to the hotel.

"Rogue you will take the other to the extraction point closer to the town centre, an airfield, it's the most likely path they will expect...Dangerous yet necessary to distract away from Oracle who may be unable to defend herself and her cargo safely."

Great just great, Naomi thought, Effy got a short trip from the hotel to car that would drive them safe and sound with back up no doubt, and yet Naomi had what looked to be a 3 or 4 mile trek in a hostel environment. Just fan- fucking-tastic.

She chanced a look away from the screen across to Effy expecting to see a smirk on her face but she was already deep in thought.

Before she had a chance to raise a question Ames shut the laptop and turned to them both leaning forwards with his palms on the table "This is a class 1 priority I don't need to tell you how important it is that this goes off without a hitch, thats why I'm sending my two best girls" His gaze shifted from Naomi to Effy and back again focusing clearly on Naomi, who raised an eyebrow at him in challenge, did he really think that she was 'his' girl? She scoffed internally, of course he did she knew how to play her part well.

He shook his head and sighed "wheels up at eighteen hundred, watchtower will be your eye in the sky, remember they're on the lookout for both agents and it'll be a shoot first ask questions later deal so watch yourself" Naomi fought back the urge to laugh, she didn't believe for one minute that he actually gave a shit about her or Effy, he was just more concerned about getting the precious cargo back safe and sound with the oh so important intel and not having to report yet another failed mission to the board. She felt like she should point out that if he did insist on contracting idiots that had zero skills he wouldn't have to make such embarrassing calls.

She watched as he grabbed his things and left the room as swiftly as he had entered, for a man he was ridiculously dramatic, god knows who he must have killed to land himself such a prominent position.

Rising from her seat she looked over to Effy who was already standing her face now sporting the smirk that she had expected to see earlier "I have an idea..." she drawled before leaving the room with Naomi following after, if there's one thing she had learnt it was that Effy's idea's almost always paid off.

* * *

They walked hand in hand through the entrance to the hotel their arms swinging slightly between them before Effy pulled Naomi into a searing kiss. A cough from behind them caused them to break apart. Naomi felt Effy smirk against her lips before she moved away and pulled Naomi along to the reception desk.

"Reservation" the receptionist asked her face tinged with pink, clearly embarrassed and maybe just maybe a little disgusted by the scene she just witnessed.

"Scarlett" Effy replied with a devlish smirk as she traced her tongue over her bottom lip "we booked the honeymoon suite" she added with a wink before caressing Naomi's hand on the counter "isn't that right darling?"

Naomi just nodded her vibrant blue eyes sparkling clearly amused by the façade.

The receptionist slapped the keycard down on the desk noisily her discomfort becoming more and more obvious "Room 201 down the hall second corridor on the left."

Effy's smug expression did nothing to quell the poor girls discomfort "come on beautiful, better get you to bed before...well...before I jump you right here, right now" she shoved Naomi gently to get her to walk in front of her but not before sending another wink at the receptionist.

Once out of earshot Naomi turned to Effy "That wasn't part of the plan" Naomi admonished her partner with one brow raised before she snatched the card from her hand.

Effy just smirked in response and followed her in the room before dropping her bag on the floor and hopping onto the bed, licking her lips in the process "no, it wasn't...but it was fun...mmmm you taste like...cherry and nicotine" she added before she burst out laughing her eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Fuck you Ef and for the record its strawberry" she finished before she pulled the bag off the floor and threw it on her partner rather wickedly "now stop being a twat and get set up you tit" she pulled small black box from the bag and then turned and left the room to the sound of Effy's sniggers.

She took a brief walk around the hotel familiarising herself with the layout before taking the short walk back to reception to see the same woman sitting at the front desk. Poor cow, she thought, not only did she have to deal with Effy's little impromptu PDA but now she was going to have to deal with being tricked into giving them just the information she needed.

She slipped a hand inside her sleeve pulling out a slim knife which she turned in her hand before drawing the blade across her finger, ignoring the slight sting it left behind. She squeezed it a little to speed up the blood flow slightly before she slipped it back in the sheath on her forearm and headed towards the desk.

"Hey" she smiled politely at the receptionist "I don't suppose you guys have a first aid kit or even a plaster handy" she questioned raising her finger to the receptionist who visibly paled at the sight before she turned and disappeared out of site. Naomi presumed it was to throw up in the bin as she heard a splattering sound coming from behind the desk which caused Naomi to wrinkle her nose in disgust before she sucked her finger and removed the apparently offending blood.

"Errrr are you okay?" she asked hesitantly before walking around the desk to check on the girl who still appeared to be emptying her stomach, she rolled her eyes, anyone would of thought her finger was hanging off the way this woman reacted, uncomfortable around two women kissing and squeamish...Jeez what a catch! Naomi ducked down to get a better look at the girl, Kelly or at least that what was on her name tag.

"Kelly?" she asked and a whimper was all she received before a rather pale looking face looked up at her slightly distressed "Sorry, not good with blood" her reply was pretty feeble, Naomi bit back the scathing retort that she would have normally rattled off and instead settled on a half smile.

"Really? And there was me thinking the sight of me made you barf, why don't you go clean up, I'll wait here just encase anyone comes up" She watched as Kelly nodded rather mutely before walking to the bathroom, the bin still clutched in her arms.

Naomi just chuckled quietly to herself before sinking down behind the desk and tapping away on the keys looking for the room number that Kilo and Echo were in all the while keeping an eye out for Kelly's return from the bathroom. Scrolling the list she found nothing but single bookings and couples, nothing that looked like friends or sisters, she kept searching though and then something odd caught her eye, a name with a familiar looking combination 'Olie Hock', an anagram _clever_..._ very clever _she thought.

She checked the room number and went back to the main screen before rising and moving back to lean against the front desk waiting for Kelly to drag her sorry arse out of the bathroom, she almost felt guilty for the pale look Kelly was now sporting...almost..."So about that plaster" she smiled as she watched Kelly pale further before reaching into the cupboard behind her and pulling out the first aid kit, handing the whole thing over to Naomi. "Thanks" she smiled as she took what she needed and left to head back to Effy.

She walked in her thumb rubbing gently across the plaster now covering her forefinger as she watched Effy tapping away. "Did you even plant the transmitter?" Effy asked before she looked up to see Naomi waving the small black box in the air before throwing it towards her.

"No need, I worked my magic" Naomi replied which just caused Effy to scoff loudly.

"Your magic? Since when did you become a magician, you didnt have enough time to sleep with her so it couldn't have been that" she chucked as she slammed the lid down and threw the laptop down on the bed.

"Fuck you" she replied watched as Effy moved as graceful as ever to the dresser before moving to pick up the phone

"Only ever in your dreams...room?" she questioned as if it wasn't obvious what she was about to do.

"307" Naomi replied without looking as she turned and grabbed her stuff before walking into the bathroom to change into something a lot less touristy and a lot more stealthy.

She changed quickly, pulling on a pair of black combats and a plain long sleeved tee before she splashed a little water on her face and stared at her reflection not quite sure if she even knew who it was that was staring back at her anymore. She shook her head and drew in a deep breath dismissing the thoughts, now wasn't the time to dwell on useless information. She was Naomi Campbell, cold hearted and strong willed and here to complete her mission, no matter what.

She walked out to find Effy already changed and checking her gear before she pulled her boots on and followed suit pulling her gun from her pack and releasing the mag, checking and reloading it, before aiming down the sight. Satisfied she slipped the weapon into the back of her pants and shrugged her jackets on over the top.

"10 minutes in the western corner of the car park" Effy instructed.

One of the reasons Effy was so good at what she done was her skilled detachment, something that Naomi herself had learnt the hard way a long time ago. Detachment was a necessary part of her life, you couldn't take another person's life be it in self defence or cold blood and still sleep peacefully at night if you didn't distance yourself. It would just eat away at you until there was nothing left, not that she was really sure there was anything left of the old her now anyway. She was quite literally a new person.

She loaded a few other items into her pack before sealing it and throwing it over her shoulder as she walked to the window and forced it open, she instantly felt the cold breeze that drifted in through the now open window and closed her eyes inhaling deeply allowing herself to adjust to the freshness.

"Ready?" she asked Effy with a brief glance over her shoulder.

"Good to go" Effy replied with a swift nod as she pulled her pack on her shoulders before shutting off the lights to their room.

Naomi leant her head out the window and glanced left then right and back again, she then hoisted herself so her bum was resting on the ledge before she thrust herself forward slightly and landed on the floor crouched as low as she could get without actually laying on it. She reached her hand behind her back and pulled the pistol out as she scanned the area before raising her hand in the air and motioning forwards giving Effy the go ahead to follow her down, she heard the dull thud of Effys boots on the soft ground next to her and then began to move towards the western corner of the car park, she noticed there were no lights there it was perfect to meet, shrouded in darkness it would give them the cover they needed to begin their trek to their separate extraction points.

They made their way across the grounds to the location for the meet where they found agents Kilo and Echo one of which was currently leaning heavily on the other.

Effy hurried towards the injured agent and relieved her sister of her burden as she slipped her pack off and knelt on the ground next to her. She instantly reached for her leg and drew the fabric up to give her access, there was a large angry wound on the side of her knee which she gently pressed her thumb against eliciting a hiss of pain from the agent.

"Watch it that fucking hurts you bitch" she lisped at Effy who simply smirked.

"You'll live" was the simple retort given before Naomi watched her pull gauze and a support from her pack and got to work strapping her agent up.

Naomi rolled her eyes, she was almost glad that she had the trek now, at least the other one whoever that was didn't seem like such a bitch, not that she could really tell based on the fact she hadn't said a word yet.

"Oracle you ready to move out?" Naomi asked Effy whilst glancing around every so often constantly on alert.

Effy finished securing the support and tugged the trouser leg back down, Naomi noticed it was probably a little bit harsher than need be and knew her suspicious were right when she saw the devlish glint in Effys steel blue eyes when she turned to face her, and another hiss of pain leave her patients lips.

"Ready, see you on the flip side Rogue" she added with a smirk as she slipped her pack back on.

"Not if I see you first" Naomi replied in challenge though delivered with a gentle smile, this was the other reason she loved working with Effy, she may be all business but she was at least still Effy, not like those other moronic idiots she had been teamed up with before who didn't seem to know their arse from their elbow half the time and had clearly been stood in the wrong queue when they were giving out personalities and humour, not that what they did was a joking matter.

Naomi saw the sisters move towards one another a brief hug being shared, she turned away not wanting to watch the exchange for the uncomfortable feeling it left her with was like a bitter taste, she pushed it down, steeled herself and instead cleared her throat gently and pressed her hand to her ear activating her coms link.

"Watchtower, precious cargo secured en route to extraction" she turned to Effy giving her a swift nod,

"This is Watchtower, all clear...proceed to extraction."

Naomi turned to her agent "which one are you?" It came out much colder than she had intended but it was too late now.

"Echo" the husky voice replied, her unwavering gaze never leaving that of the blue eyes before her, Naomi noticed it was almost defiant. Instead she simply turned and started to walk into the darkness her eyes darting left and right, her ears trained for that of any movement, and sound other than herself and Echo.

"We have a hike to our extraction point" Naomi informed her curtly as they moved through the woodland area heading towards the city by the cover of darkness. They walked in silence for sometime the only noise was that of the gentle thud of their footfall, the crunch of the leaves on the ground and the sound of their breathing that was now both rhythmic and synchronised.

Naomi set a fast pace, mostly to keep warm and fend off the cold but on the plus side they had at least made good headway, it wasn't long after they had set out that Naomi had heard from Watchtower that Oracle and Kilo had made it to their extraction point and were on their way back to base. Echo's face was one of relief on hearing that her sister had at least made it back safe, as was Naomi's on knowing that Effy was okay, not that she would admit it. It would be impossible to live down the constant jibes she would get in return, plus she was the ice queen she didn't give a shit about anyone and they didn't give a shit about her. It was exactly the way she wanted it - friends and families just caused hurt.

She noticed after the news of her sisters safe passage, some of the tension radiating off the smaller woman next to her vanished which made her relax too as the silence provided comfort that they were at least alone.

She checked her watch again and took the opportunity to stop for a moment, the trees around providing both protection and shelter. She slipped off her pack and pulled a bottle from her bag taking a large gulp of the water before offering the bottle to Echo who accepted it greedily.

Naomi then pulled out her cigarettes and lit one before taking a drag enjoying the familiar rush of nicotine, she offered the cigarette to Echo who again followed suit.

"So Echo..." she started, slightly unsure of how to continue, she felt strange, guilty almost for the way she spoke to Echo earlier, abrupt and direct.

Echo passed the cigarette back and blew the smoke out slowly clearing her lungs "Call me Emily"

Emily, it sounded...perfect, Naomi admonished herself, how could a name sound perfect? It was ludicrous.

She held her hand out to the woman before her "Naomi" she stated simply and she felt a small yet firm grip meet her own which did nothing but increase her guilt, here was Emily polite and adorable versus Naomi's cold indifference.

"So...what happened?" Naomi founder herself asking, but not sure why she was really asking, I mean she didn't care, her mission was clear just get her cargo out safe and sound and then collect her cheque and yet here she was making small talk learning about what it was that lead her agent here to this very spot next to her.

"An ex of my darling sisters showed up at an impromptu moment and ruined everything, we were so close as well, stupid bastard" Naomi noticed the change in Emilys body language, she shifted from loose and relaxed (considering their circumstances) to tense in an instant her knuckles white on account of the death grip she was currently demonstrating.

"Who are they?" she asked taking another drag on the cigarette watching the smoke as she exhaled slowly, still surprising herself with her curiosity.

"Bastards, thats who they are, and we almost had them, almost had the ring leader" she watched as Emily's head dropped into her hands and she rubbed her face in frustration, she looked exhausted, Naomi wondered idly just how long ago their cover had been blown, just how long her and her sister had been running.

She shook her head and flicked her cigarette to the floor stubbing it out with the heel of her boot. "Come on, it's not far now" she leant her hand down and helped Emily rise before setting off again moving ever closer to their extraction point.

They travelled another five minutes or so, every so often she checked to make sure that Emily was close behind her, she noticed her steps were getting more and more clumsy as her feet dragged along the floor rather than taking a clear crisp step.

That was until something caught her attention, she raised her fist into the air to halt Emily who stopped in an instant. As her other hand snuck behind her back to remove the pistol she had stowed there, she heard Emily do the same the click of the safety being released as they both crouched down low to the floor.

She heard another noise to her left she was certain of it now positive it wasn't just a figment of her imagination, her body tensed as she turned her gun to the very direction her eyes glancing left and right as she tried to identify who was there. She turned briefly to Emily, saw the sheer determination on her face as her eyes were scanning back and forth across the woodland too, they were maybe another 10 minutes from the airfield but Naomi doubted they would be able to make it there without alerting them to their presence.

Naomi shifted back towards Emily her gun still raised in the direction she had had heard the noise only a moment before.

She leaned in close to Emily and whispered in her ear inhaling an addictive scent, Emilys shampoo she presumed. "We need to get to cover" Emily nodded, she was glad she agreed the last thing she wanted was a stubborn agent who wanted to get all gun-ho on her ass. Though clearly Emily was more than aware about how dangerous this situation could be.

Together they moved as quietly as possible in the opposite direction, Naomi knew there was a time and a place to stand and fight and this wasn't it. She linked her hand in Emily's and pulled her in the direction she wanted to head. There were of course other routes to the airfield, slightly longer now though which wasn't ideal considering the cold however it had to be better than trying to sneak past whoever it was they had heard, and her experience, generally scouts were out in force.

As luck would have it they made it only a few hundred yards and they heard the click of a radio followed by a foreign voice "fuck" she muttered under her breath as she felt Emilys grip tighten in her own.

It seemed her choice was going to be taken from her, there were only so many routes to the airfield and she would have bet the gun in her hand that every single one would be blocked, stand and fight may be the only thing they had, or run back to the hotel but what would that achieve? Sooner or later they were going to catch up with them.

She made a conscious decision there and then, they were going to have to fight their way through, silently taking them out one at a time to avoid drawing attention to their presence, guns were definitely off limits.

She leaned into Emily again "do you have a knife?" she noticed Emily shiver slightly from the cold before she shook her head. Naomi reached down and pulled her knife out of a holster strapped to her ankle passing it across handle first before she slipped the gun back behind her and pulled her other knife from the sheath on her forearm.

She motioned with for Emily to follow her, received a nod in reply before she felt Emily's hand on her shoulder which caused a ripple of warmth to spread through her body. She pulled herself together and began her movement forwards, Emily's hand still firmly planted on her shoulder as they moved in unison towards their pray.

It didn't take long to find him he was stood with his back to them looking out across the woodland apparently searching for them, it was ideal with his back to them he would be almost easy pickings.

Naomi felt Emily's hand give her shoulder one firm squeeze before the warmth was taken away, she inhaled a deep breath counting to three in her head, preparing herself to strike...One the third second she moved forward swiftly, her boots barely disturbing the ground beneath her and before he had a chance to react her knife was at his throat holding fast.

"One move and I won't hesitate to slit your throat" she rasped in his ear, she felt him nod in response.

"Now throw your weapon..." he did so without question "Good, I want you to call in, tell them you saw movement in the trees bearing North, remember one false move and it's all over" she highlighted her point by drawing the blade closer, cutting ever so slightly into his skin.

He nodded again and followed her actions without question and she heard the teams reply that they were on the move, she breathed a small sigh of relief, that would at least buy them some time to get to their transport.

Removing the blade from his throat she moved it around to rest squarely between his shoulder blades before she drew her arm back and jammed the handle firmly into the back of his head as he slumped to the floor unconscious.

Emily was at her side in an instant, tying his hands behind his back and then linking them to his feet also, giving him no opportunity to run before she cut a slither of fabric from his jacket and shoved it in his mouth so he couldn't scream or shout.

"That should keep him quiet" Emily added as she moved to retrieve the gun that had been discarded on the floor only movements ago.

"So what's the plan" Emily asked her face still tired but now far more alert.

"Now we move forward, take them one by one till were at that airfield and on our merry way back to base." At least that was the plan, whether they could pull it off only time would tell.

Naomi turned to do just as she had planned but it all happened so quickly, she took just one pace before saw him stood in front of her, before she saw him raise his gun and the heard the fire of the rounds leaving the chamber, before she felt the shot that was fired.

Her hands grasped at her chest as she began to stumble backwards finally falling as she fought for breath.

She heard one more shot, clear and certain and then she saw before her Emily's face, that beautiful face she was meant to be saving and yet here they were, roles completely reversed. She left Emily batting her hands out of the way as she fought to draw air into her lungs once more felt her jacket being parted and her shirt ripped open as she saw Emily's eyes widen.


	2. Angels Without Wings

**So I'm fairly nervous about this chapter, and feel that I should warn you in advance that there are some...err..a bit dark / twisted themes in it - fairly similar to the opening scene in 4x01 - just to give you a heads up.**

**Thanks for the review and story alerts also.**

**Skins isnt mine if it was I'm not sure they would let me broadcast it following this!**

* * *

She struggled to draw the freezing cold air into her lungs as she blinked rapidly into the face above her, the face of Echo and she couldn't help but notice her eyes, so deep and rich in colour and full of concern, she saw her lips move but wasn't really taking in what was being said to her.

Cold hands moved over her chest searching for a wound Naomi knew she wouldn't find. As she pushed her hands aside she finally began to draw shaky breaths in, the pressure immense even though she was entirely fine, apart from what she suspected would be rather tender skin and probably a deep bruise soon enough.

She moved to sit up, saw the look of concern in those brown eyes before her as rasped out a simple "I'm okay" and gratefully accepted the hand held out to her, as she sat she reached a hand inside her jacket and pinched her fingers together producing a small metallic fragment, she knew what it was she didn't need to see it to know, she had felt it alright, a bullet. A bullet that had been lodged firmly in her jackets lining and had sucked all the air from her lungs only moments ago, holding it up to the moonlight assessing it wondering almost morbidly what would have happened if she hadn't been wearing this exact jacket, one that had been lined with plates to protect all those vital muscles and organs beneath her skin.

She flicked the fragment away from her, no point in dwelling on such trivial matters not when they were still so far from home and now in so much more danger than before. She rose to her feet and pressed her hand gently to the spot that had taken the hit, wincing ever so slightly..._Definitely going to bruise_.

She looked at Echo, only to see a frown on her face her bottom lip ever so slightly being worried away at as she stared at the area of Naomi's chest she had probably expected to be spilling on to the ground, self consciously Naomi cleared her throat and pulled her jacket closed again. She watched as her gaze moved across to the shooter who was now lifeless on the ground having not been as fortunate as her.

"Echo..." Naomi called to get her attention, but gained nothing... She repeated herself still receiving no response. Started to worry, worry that Echo was in shock or some ridiculous notion, but surely that wasn't possible, she was a trained deep cover agent, she would have been trained and tested to endure far worse than the situation that just occurred.

She reached a hand out to touch her shoulder shaking gently as she called her name, her real name this time not her code name, in the hope that it would be enough to snap her out of it.

"Emily...We need to go, they will have heard that" she watched as the frown disappeared to be replaced with Emily's eyes boring into her own, entirely unreadable yet it wasn't necessary as what Naomi couldn't read from the smaller woman she was told in a soft yet concerned voice that conveyed nothing but the truth.

"You scared the fucking shit out of me" Naomi watched the smaller woman run a hand through her hair and she understood what it was Emily was scared of, she was scared of being here alone, not scared of Naomi being hurt, just scared of being stuck here in this fucking woodland completely and utterly alone...for someone used to working with and depending so entirely on a partner, a twin no doubt someone that could probably read her as well as she could read herself, she could understand it would be daunting, she understood all too well, but she shared none of the same sentiment.

She watched Echo closely watched her steel herself as she turned away from Naomi, saw the gentle rise and fall of her shoulders and what she presumed was one deep and slow calming, steadying breath.

When she turned back to her it was with a look of concentration as she reached down to retrieve her gun from the floor as well as the gun from the guy they tied up earlier, there was no point in trying to be sneaky and quiet now, they may as well have erected a giant flashing neon sign saying 'we're over here fuckers come and get us.'

They nodded to one another, a silent agreement 'lets do this' and surged forwards, hesitantly at first, still trying to remain as stealthy as possible before they approached a clearing that held a flurry of action, maybe twenty people all armed and all gearing up to move out.

Naomi hesitated crouched down and scanned her eyes left and right, there was no way they could fight their way out of this, not in close quarters anyway, their best chance was to run and if they ran into trouble they would have to pick them off one at a time if they had to, but ideally to avoid it. She had already found out the hard way that they weren't going to be taking any prisoners on this one, he wasn't joking when he said it would be a shoot first ask questions later deal. There was no guarantee that next time they would be so lucky.

She turned to Echo and she motioned with her hand to move back the way they had come, they had no choice they would have to head back deeper into the woodland and seek the shelter that the trees would provide whilst they thought of another route.

Echo turned and move without question, it wasn't an issue of Naomi being the leader and Echo following orders like a good soldier, it was a clear and simple point of fact, the way forward was hopeless and their only option back. Any tactically minded person could see that.

As they approached what they assumed to be a safe distance they slowed and turned their backs on one another as they crouched down low so they had a 360 degree view between them.

Naomi pressed her hand to her ear... "Watchtower come in...Watchtower copy..." She tried a couple more times but nothing, she wasn't surprised, they were well and truly on their own now, she ripped the coms link from her ear and crushed it under her heel _bastards_.

She heard Echo sigh, heard her shift next to her then heard something thud against the ground hard again and again as turned to see her pounding her fist into the ground in frustration. This wasn't meant to be how it was, not for Echo, no not Echo she was Emily. Naomi didn't know why she was making a conscious effort to refer to her as Echo in her head, they were in this together now just Naomi and Emily, Vendetta was out of the picture for the moment, and with Vendetta went the codenames.

Naomi just watched the smaller woman's frustration building before she finally kicked her body into gear and grabbed her hand and held it tightly as Emily's bowed head stared at the floor.

She tugged gently on her arm to get her attention "The city isn't far from here...come on" tugged her up and linked their hands together as she pulled Emily along after her, heading in the direction she knew the city was, due north.

They moved again in silence Naomi not knowing what words she could possibly offer to Emily who was clearly completely and utterly exhausted and tired of running and Emily, well she just didn't seem to have the energy to do more than put one foot in front of the other, but they couldn't stop they would be sitting ducks here their best hope was to get to the city, hide out in the hustle and bustle. She checked her watch 11pm local time, that would at least give them the cover of drunk party goers to blend into.

Surprisingly their path had been clear thus far and as the woodland grew thinner and the darkness was replaced with artificial light Naomi knew they were drawing close to the town. She took the weapon they had stolen and ditched it, it would be no use to them now and was too bulky to hide, she slipped her pack off and took a few select items too before hiding that in the remaining undergrowth. It wasn't ideal but it was too conspicuous to keep carrying around now especially that they were heading into a well lit city. She shoved the items in her combats and jacket and took the bottle of water, taking a sip before passing it to Emily and then disposing of that also.

As they came out of the woodland they kept to the shadows, moving along the side streets as quickly and quietly as possible heading towards the busier part of town in the hope that they could blend in and at least buy themselves some time. Knew when they were drawing close the thud of the music and the occasional shriek or shouting that could be heard.

Naomi chanced a look behind her again to make sure there was no movement to be concerned about and she caught Emily's face, pale and drawn but her eyes still burning with frustration and annoyance which she presumed was at least better than defeat, but it was concerning because there was a danger that she would do something stupid if her anger got the better of her and could she really fight? She could fire a gun alright but how much good would she be in hand to hand combat right now.

Naomi decided they were close enough now, she slipped her gun back into the waistband of her pants and reached her hand out to Emily, linking their hands and surging her forwards into the first club they found taking solace in the darkness. The thudding beat of the music a welcomed distraction from the absolute silence they had heard for what felt like hours now. She held Emily's hand firmly in her own and pulled her straight to the back of the room following the signs for the toilets where they could wash some of the grime from their hands and just have a human moment to get their shit together, she figured Emily needed it and if she was honest she did just a little bit too.

She walked in and locked the door, closing of the entire toilets giving them just a moment to themselves, Emily rushed into a cubicle and Naomi stood her palms face down resting on the sink in front of her as she stared at her reflection in the mirror, so very similar to the same very action she had done back at the hotel before everything had quite literally gone to shit. She puffed out a breath and then stood straight before washing her hands, scrubbing hard under her nails to get all the dirt she could before she grabbed some towels and wiped them dry. She then pressed a hand gently to her chest and winced again, it had started to bother her as every movement had rubbed ever so slightly on the spot that had been hit thanks to her jacket.

She heard the cubicle behind her open, the creak of the door and watched as Emily moved to the sink to clean her hands before she raised her eyes to Naomi's reflection that was still holding her hand against her chest. Emily turned dried her hands and stepped towards her, unzipping Naomi's jacket and lifting her tee that she had hastily ripped earlier. Her hands cold against Naomi's skin caused her to flinch slightly as she traced them across a deep purple mark marring her porcelain skin.

Naomi's heart raced, she was sure that Emily would be able to feel it as she felt the smaller woman's hands on her skin again, it was surreal she was so cool calm and collected, her emotions didn't betray her, they were always kept in check, but here she was her heart pounding in her ears far louder than the beat of the music on the other side of the toilet door and she couldn't control it, and what worried her more was that she couldn't hide it either, that tiny fist sized muscle beneath Emily's hand was betraying her, pumping hard and fast.

No words were spoken there was no point in asking if it hurt, it was a given and would have been an unnecessary waste, Emily simply sent her a half smile as she pulled her tee back down and shifted to lean gently against the sink her head dropping to stare at the floor, Naomi let out the breath she hadn't realised she had been holding as she zipped her jacket back up and stared at herself in the mirror at least thankful that her ice cold blue eyes had remained just so.

She placed a hand on Emily's and gave it a gentle squeeze feeling more confident now she had that treacherous muscle back under her control and she pulled her towards the door before she dropped her hand and unlocked it heading up the stairs not far to her right. At least from up here they would have the advantage of being able to scan the crowd below. She leaned on the railing looking out and Emily leaned her back against it.

They needed a plan to get out of here, and all Naomi could think of practically was to find a car and to just drive and keep driving using their advantage that no one knew her identity, the only two people that they had crossed had only heard her voice and felt the hilt of her knife and the other hand been on the receiving end of a bullet from Emily's gun, so in theory it would work. People would be looking for two sisters anyway brunettes, not a peroxide blonde and Emily well she could just keep out of sight for now with greater ease in a car just by laying on the back seats until they reached a secluded distance. Plus they couldn't keep moving on foot, it was too slow and too dangerous and Emily was tired any idiot could see that, no they needed something quicker and more practical and logically a car was the best solution.

Naomi felt as though she was being watched, felt that there were eyes trained on her and it didn't take her long to find them. A woman, fairly average looking long brown hair and a white flowing dress, she looked out of it, probably high on some shit and then she watched as she turned to her friend next to her, a guy who looked completely sober and suddenly Naomi had an idea. She smiled at her sent her a wink and watched as the girls face lit up below her, she reached a hand out and motioned then watched as the girl started to make her way towards her as she bumped into people in her inebriated state.

Naomi turned to Emily who was gazing at…well…nothing in particular just seemingly lost in her own thoughts, she leaned in close so she could hear her over the beat of the music.

"How's your pick pocketing skills?" she asked and Emily just shrugged, taking that to mean 'so-so' she tugged on Emily's arm to get her to turn around to face the crowd as she stood closely behind her.

"See that guy, one o'clock, dark hair, red shirt, I'm willing to bet that he has a car here, he's too sober to not be driving. I need you to get close to him get his keys and meet me near the entrance in 15 minutes...Got it?" Emily nodded and began to head towards the stairs, she looked like a walking zombie but Naomi figured it shouldn't be too difficult to swipe his keys especially the way the crowd were moving against one another, she followed her partners path, watched her weave throughout the people loitering on the upper floors effortlessly and start to move closer to the target, it was only then that she felt the tap on her shoulder and remembered that she herself had her own part to play.

She turned around a brilliant smile on her face as she looked the woman up and down, she seemed nice which made her almost feel guilty for what she was about to do, to fuck with this poor girls life in such a reckless manner, but she knew the gravity of the situation and everything was just collateral damage like the guy in the woods and this would be no exception.

Leaning forwards she pressed her lips close to the woman's ear and drawled in what she hoped was her sexiest voice as she placed a hand on her hip and rubbed her thumb there gently "Hey beautiful, what's your name?"

She heard the gasp as she had spoken and knew then that this could work, it would be enough of a distraction for them to take what they needed and leave with no one noticing their suspicious exit.

"S-S-Sophia" she stuttered ever so slightly and Naomi felt like she was going to laugh that such a small action could cause this kind of reaction in this girl, Sophia.

"Sophia...Pretty name for a pretty girl" It was cheesy she knew it but this girl was so high she was on another fucking planet, she could have told her she looked like a goose and she would have probably achieved the same result.

"Come here often?" She asked just making some sort of conversation as she continued to rub her thumb across her hip, the strokes getting gradually more and more forceful. She felt Sophia tremble slightly under her touch and watched her nod before she leaned back in.

"Has anyone told you that you look like an angel" she watched Sophia shake her head from side to side to signal no. Naomi flashed her another smile before she placed both her hands on her hips and pulled Sophia close to her so their bodies were touching as she continued stroking her thumb more and more forcefully causing the fabric to rise and fall slightly.

She then took the moment to spin them around so that Sophia's back was pressed against the railing and she could check on Emily's progress over her shoulder, they needed to get the timing right for this to work at its best. Emily was getting closer but not quite there yet, the crowd so closely packed that it was proving difficult to manoeuvre there without literally looking like a woman on a mission. Naomi realised this would probably work out well, a little more time to get to Sophia and mould her perfectly to her needs.

"I've always wondered what it would be like to kiss an angel..." she drawled as she pulled back and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and saw Sophia's eyes wide and eager before she closed them and moved towards Naomi. She took the opportunity to take another look over her shoulder before she pressed her own lips against Sophia's, taking no time to deepen it as her eyes stayed on Emily in the crowd, watching her sluggish form moving closer to her target...almost there now. Naomi pulled away from Sophia's lips and moved instantly to her neck pressing wet kisses there, trailing her tongue across the skin every so often as her eyes were glued to Emily, watching her as she pretended to 'trip' and 'fall' into the guy as her hand snuck inside his jacket and a flash of silver was seen moving away in her hand and in that moment Naomi couldn't help but smile. Her skills weren't 'so-so' they had been perfect and they were one step closer now.

She continued trailing her tongue and pressing kisses to Sophia's neck as she watched Emily turn to look at her and she was surprised that she saw something flash across Emily's eyes, disapproval she presumed, disapproval for shamelessly using this girl and her friend for their needs. But the way she saw it, it was survival of the fittest and Naomi wasn't about to die just for some stupid pay check. She pulled back from Sophia's neck and kissed her forcefully pressing hard against her stopping only when she started to feel Sophia grind against her.

She pulled back and held her face between her hands, as she pressed a gentler kiss against her and closed her eyes for just a second whilst pushed her guilt aside.

When she opened her eyes they were cold, hard and if this girl hadn't been so off her tits she would have noticed the change, but she was too out of it and now was her opportunity to manipulate this poor cow to make a scene.

"Can you fly?" She asked as Sophia stared at her "I bet you can, all angels can fly and you're the prettiest angel of them all" Sophia beamed at her and her smile lit up her entire face as she nodded.

Naomi's jaw tensed as she knew for definite this would work now, she kissed her again and leaned in close not wanting to look her in the eyes as she whispered the next 4 words...

"Will you show me?" She watched as Sophia nodded enthusiastically, eagerly almost like one of those stupid churchill nodding fucking dogs.

"Five minutes, I'll be down there waiting for you to float down to me, alright?"

She nodded again and Naomi flashed her one more smile before she turned and headed to the stairs not looking back again. She moved quickly through the crowd as she pulled her cigarettes from her jacket pocket and pulled one out, lighting it immediately. She took a long drag and let the nicotine float through her lungs as she heard the start of a commotion behind her, nearly at the door she saw Emily and reached out to take her hand in her own as she pulled her towards the entrance of the club as she heard the screams behind her and watched as all the bouncers from the front of the club hastily ran from the entrance deep into the masses. She chanced one glance over her shoulder and watched as she saw Sophia standing on the railing with her arms spread wide and her face beaming at the ceiling before she saw her gently start to fall forwards. Naomi turned away, not wanting to watch her handiwork and pulled Emily forwards with more speed, literally dragging her out into the street as the screams and cries behind her grew.

She snatched the keys from Emily and began hitting the buttons on the bleeper waiting for the flash of the indicators to tell her exactly which car it was she was looking for. On seeing it she dragged Emily to the car before letting go of her hand and slipping in the driver's seat, turning the engine over before she slammed her foot down on the accelerator.

They made their exit from the city undisturbed, Naomi ignored the flash of the lights from the ambulance heading towards them, didn't care to think about exactly what it had meant.

They reached the border where Emily hid in the boot as Naomi swiftly crossed the checkpoint without issue. Emily hadn't spoken to her, not a word for hours now, once across the checkpoint she had remained in the back of the car and had curled into a ball as Naomi drove through the early hours of the morning. She kept an eye on her every now and again in her rear view mirror but she was just still and unmoving, asleep perhaps? If she was asleep she could only hope and presume that it was peacefully.

A couple of hours past the border, Naomi pulled over at a payphone and called on a secure line arranging a new extraction, this time much simpler just a private jet waiting at an airfield close by to take them back home to safety, this time it would be without the risk of being shot and having to run and she knew now there was no risk of Vendetta soiling their name with another botched mission that they would oblige without question.

She hung up the phone and slipped back in the car to find Emily in the passenger seat next to her now her eyes focused forwards, they didn't speak, just drove for a while more and it was only when they reached the airfield, left the car and were seated comfortably on the plane that Emily turned and thanked Naomi all be it rather coldly. It was only then that Naomi looked out the window letting the guilt sink in. They had both taken a life tonight, the circumstances dramatically different though but the result still the same, for her it wasn't the first time and she was almost certain that it wouldn't be the last, but it didn't make it any easier. She would dismiss it of course, she had to that was the way it worked but for right now she had to feel what she had done, it was the only thing that kept her human, the only piece of the old her that she clung on to.

She turned to look at Emily, her eyes focused on the brown orbs across from her conveying her guilt at her actions as she simply stared at her.

Emily gave her a half smile as she leaned forward and grabbed Naomi's hand. "I don't condone what you done, not for a minute...But I do owe you my life, I don't think I would have made it out of there without you."

Naomi nodded and gripped Emily's hand back for a brief moment before she pulled away and turned to stare out the window.

* * *

**So errr don't hate me, I started writing this when I was ridiculously hungover and thought it was a good idea then, but then it started to occur to me that not everyone's mind is as warped as my own and I am a little concerned that it was a little bit too 'out there' for the masses, but I never said that it was going to be all sugar, spice and all things nice. I apologise if I offended anyone - but its just fiction kids - dont hold it against me. **

**Plus I solemly swear to only kill charecters that I don't like ) ... also let me know who you want killed off I'm sure I'll need some more victims in the future! **

**Anyway I appreciate any feedback, even if it is only to tell me that you didnt like where I took this.**


	3. Poker Face

So this was attempt two...oh who am I kidding its more like four or five at writing this. I shouldn't write when I'm hung over or ill or drugged up to the eyeballs - and I dont mean on the recreational stuff. But anyway here goes!

Skins isnt mine, if it was I would have had John Foster assasinated in a heartbeat.

* * *

Their trip back to base had been one which passed in silence after her brief admission of guilt. Naomi had watched the smaller woman curl up looking so small and tiny on the seat across from her as she slept there, finally able to relax even though her own mind practically screamed at her for what she had done.

As soon as they landed Emily was whisked away without another word spoken, only a backwards glance that conveyed her gratitude and yet also something else in that brief moment. She turned away and saw Ames walking towards her, had to fight back the urge to lash out at him for just fucking leaving them there to fend for themselves, her posture turned stiff as he stopped in front of her and held out his hand waiting for her to shake it. If looks could kill he would be as dead as a dodo on the floor from the icy glare she sent his way before he retracted his hand and coughed lightly trying to cover up the rather awkward moment.

"Excellent job Rogue, couldn't have done it better myself" he said almost smugly, still offbeat under her stare.

No you couldn't you slimy cowardly bastard because you would have had a full on fucking assault team there licking your arse ten paces in front and behind you. You wouldn't have been left to get yourself out because you didn't consider yourself to be 'expendable' like her and Emily had been. She knew it was always going to be the case, was never deluded by the fact that once they had Katie their return was just an added bonus, icing on the cake.

Unfortunately she feared that Emily hadn't considered it quite as she had, Emily it seemed was under the delusion that she was a valuable asset and would be recovered safely without issue, well at least not as much as they encountered, certainly not to have been discarded so carelessly.

"We received the intel from Kilo and have a team working on it as we speak" he smiled smugly at her clearly satisfied with his 'achievement' fucking tosser, she snatched the envelope from his hand with no mention of any thanks and turned abruptly walking away.

* * *

Naomi had received a handful of requests from Vendetta over the last couple of weeks but had decided to ignore each and every one of them. Kept telling herself that she didn't need the money and she had other things to concentrate on. Plus her last job for Vendetta had been a disaster and those brown eyes still haunted her, the look she had seen in them from when she had pushed that girl over the edge.

She shook her head as if to shake off the unwelcome thought and picked up her gloves again deciding to take her frustration out on the bag in front of her. She shot a series of blows to the bag, followed by knees kicks and elbows, it was something she loved to do, to just lose herself in a rage that she could never be allowed to express in a real fight because that ultimately could mean her death. She spent a further thirty minutes taking her frustration out on the items around her building up a sweat before she slipped her gloves off and moved to stretch out her taught muscles.

As she watched herself stretch in the full length mirror, her eyes were drawn to her chest - to the very point that a bullet had struck her and left her bruised and maybe just a little battered, it had faded now but she still knew exactly where it was. She had been hurt before of course, it would have been a miracle to have remained unscathed for such a length of time especially in her career but it had never bothered her quite so much after, even when her blood had been spilled the thought had never lingered this long and she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

She clenched a fist and brought it roughly against her temple as though the action would dislodge the thought for good "Get the fuck out of there."

Naomi spent another day or so carrying on with her normal routine for the past couple of weeks, train, then research, the spend her evenings lost in her thoughts with her hands wrapped around a glass of amber liquid. It was oddly pleasant but ultimately destructive and she knew she had to put a stop to it before it spiralled out of control, so the next call she received she decided she would answer.

* * *

It was with apprehension that she drove to headquarters, swiping her card at the entrance to the car park and heading into the building. She had somewhat of a reputation for being ignorant, rude, a bitch, the ice maiden, wasn't sure which one she had heard thrown around the most lately and secretly she took pleasure in the fact that she had her reputation secured. After all she wasn't here to make friends and most of the morons that 'worked' here would never be worthy of that title anyway. There were a select few of course, Effy being top of the list...well she practically was the list.

Swiping through another set of security doors she sighed, this place was ridiculous, it made Alcatraz seem like a childs play pen. As Naomi headed towards Effy's desk she spotted her talking rather animatedly, beaming and laughing with a small brown haired woman that Naomi wasn't familiar with, assumed it must be one of the twins they had extracted a couple of weeks ago, Kilo or Echo who knew. Effy and animated weren't normally words ever included in a sentence or thought together, it was almost foreign to her mind, heading towards Effy she watched the smaller woman walk away, a determined swagger to her hips.

"You seem chipper" A statement of fact, not a question in the slightest.

"You seem frosty" was the dry retort that Naomi received as she moved to perch herself on the edge of Effy's desk.

"Well I aim to please" Naomi replied bored almost as she picked at her nails.

"And please you will..." A typical cryptic reply, she wasn't surprised it wasn't the first she had heard and Naomi was sure it wouldn't be the last. Deciding to not react to it Naomi just picked at her nails waiting for Effy to continue.

"So, got your agent out then" it wasn't really a question but she nodded regardless, of course Effy knew she was out, unlike Naomi Effy was here full time, not a freelancer like her but employed directly.

"Heard you ran into some trouble" again not a question but she replied anyway in the same bored tone of voice "something like that" keeping her eyes on her hands staying away from the penetrating gaze that Effy reserved only for the most interesting subjects. Naomi had a brilliant poker face when she needed it, but there were only two people she knew that she could never quite fool completely and one of them was of course Effy Stonem, she didn't have the code name 'Oracle' just for the fun of it. She always just _knew_ what was going on in someone's head. It was infuriating, it's what made her perfect for interrogation and hostile negotiations because she always knew what they were thinking before they voiced it, or sometimes probably before they even thought it themselves.

"Well I'm glad your okay" Naomi sent her a half smile and a short nod in reply that conveyed both her thanks and fired the comment straight back at Effy. It was an unusual admission of their care for one another and the awkward silence that had started from the talk of the extraction dragged until it seemed that Effy took it upon herself to lighten the mood.

"Plus the twins are hilarious, you've missed out you skiver" Naomi gave her a light shove with a full smile this time before glancing at her watch and rising to stand. "You coming?" she asked as she gestured to the briefing room.

"Not today babe, you'll just have to somehow cope without me, I've got some recon to do for a new client, whoop-de-do" she drawled clearly loving the action. Recon was boring, they all did their fair share of it but it didn't make it any more interesting. Naomi smirked at her, knowing that it would wind Effy up just a little as she sauntered across to the briefing room.

She opened the door and glanced around the room, saw the back of a brunette's head, the same one she had seen at Effy's desk and suddenly her heart was hammering in her chest as everything began to move in slow motion. All the foolish and ridiculous fears she knew deep down she had been avoiding for the past couple of weeks could very well be sitting here in this very room with her.

"Ahhh Rogue, good to have you back!" Ames pulled Naomi from her thoughts, she hadn't even realised that he was in the room, which in itself was a concern. She was meant to be sharp, quick, on the ball, completely in tune with her surroundings, yet here she was - one sight of what could be Emily's head and she hadn't noticed the other person in the room. Her inner voice was berating her, telling her to pull it together and not be suck a fucking pussy, so she did just that, she stood taller and walked purposefully into the room, taking a seat two down from the brunette as she kept her eyes glue to Ames.

"I don't think you've met Kilo here...You are Kilo right?" He questioned. "Well duh course I am babes, you don't think my sisters tits are as fucking mint as mine do you?" at the same time she cupped her boobs and pushed them up even more, not that they had needed it.

_'Jesus, is she for real?_' was the first through that crossed Naomi's mind and then her second thought, was '_holy fuck those puppies are about to break free from their leash_' as she had turned her chair to get a look at the twin comfortable now that she knew it wasn't Emily. She must have been staring at her tits because she then heard a light cough from behind her and an audacious "Errr my face is up here bitch" from the woman in front of her, it was lisped at her and instantly she saw all the differences that existed between this 'Kilo' and her Emily.

She looked up at Kilo, poker face in full force as she stared at her, mentally slapping her and telling her to go buy a bra that fits. She was just about to send a scathing retort at Kilo when the door flew open and a rather flustered looking Emily walked in followed by a guy she had worked with a couple of times before, she recalled that he had been okay at getting the job done and at least he had followed orders, though she had no clue who he was.

"Sorry were late" Emily replied as she sat down opposite Naomi, the guy she had walked in with taking the seat next to her. Emily's face was currently sporting a mixture of emotions, shock, distaste, confusion and a hint of hurt. Instantly that hammering was back in Naomi chest, fear gripped her and if it wasn't for the fact that her poker face was well and truly in place she wondered if the whole room would be able to read her and then open her chest up like a book and see that precious muscle flailing all over the place.

"Right we're all here, excellent, excellent!" Ames started clearly in a much better mood that last time Naomi had been here. He was probably back in the boards good books following the safe extraction of two deep cover agents.

"Our intel provided by Kilo and Echo led us to a group of individuals seeking to buy a new bio-weapon - Helix - that was being sold on the black market. Unfortunately before they had the chance to find out the source of the engineer they had to be extracted" Naomi chanced a glance across to Emily out the corner of her eye and noticed the frown lines on her forehead. Emily obviously knew exactly what this bio-weapon was capable of and from the way she had spoken previously of the group they had been undercover with, she was under the impression that it was pretty fucking awful.

"We raided and captured all the customers that had been involved in the sale on the market but we now have the problem of finding the engineer behind it all, the final piece to the puzzle. We interrogated the captives one at a time, a few refused to talk but those that did after a little...persuasion... all shared the same story.

Naomi noticed for the first time the screen behind him that was currently showing the face of a rather seedly looking individual, someone you definitely wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley at night.

"This is Vladimir Karlakov, a Russian diplomat notorious for his questionable activities and those alone are the activities publicised. We are under the impression that Karlakov is either behind the sale, or a middleman for managing the transaction using his position of power to network with contractors. His whereabouts however are currently unknown. A contact of ours in the Ukraine confirmed that he backs all his information up on a server farm in Zurich. Echo and Angelo you will lead strike forces on the ground one form the North and the other the South to create a distraction and also to provide the safe exit of agents Kilo and Rogue."

Naomi couldn't help but wonder exactly how well this server farm was guarded, two full strike teams on the ground felt somewhat heavy which made her feel slightly uneasy about exactly what she was getting herself in for.

"Kilo and Rogue you will infiltrate the facility locate server 27 and download the information, whatever happens Karlakov can't know we've been at his server, if he has any suspicions that he's been compromised he'll fall completely off the grid and the opportunity will be lost"

"Who owns the other servers there?" Naomi asked

"A few corporate companies, no one of particular interest, why?" It was times like this that Naomi wondered just how Ames got his job, he was completely clueless to not even cotton on to what she was thinking. It was almost embarrassing that she would have to explain it.

She was about to respond when that husky voice drifted over to her "You want to steal another server" a statement not a question, Naomi was shocked if she were honest. Emily had been so distant on her extraction that if she were honest she had doubted somewhat her abilities, but then she was reminded of her thieving skills and mentally reprimanded herself for even thinking such a thing. There was clearly more to Emily than meets the eye.

Naomi realised she hadn't spoken and there were four pairs of eyes all staring at her, nodded sharply "Yes, throw him off, give him no reason to suspect his server was of interest. He'll know someone broke in if were taking two strike teams, go into hiding even if it's just a precaution"

"Yes yes, just what I was thinking" Ames suggested. Two sets of eyebrows shot up as they stared across from each other blue meeting brown as they both thought the same thing_ what a lying twat._

"Right a change of plan is in order then. Kilo you can lead Echo's strike team, Echo you download Karlakov's server, Rogue you steal another server, everyone clear?" he looked around the room to see a couple nods of acceptance. "Wheels up in one hour"

Naomi looked at her hands, she hadn't been expecting that. Working with Kilo that would have been, well irritating if she were honest but still easier than working with Emily right? Shit. She looked up to be met with those brown eyes boring in to her own again, those same eyes that had been haunting her. She held her gaze for just a moment and looked away quickly, felt suffocated, felt everything she had been trying to avoid, felt the guilt and the uneasiness, unfamiliar unwanted and just... too much all too much. Abruptly she stood mumbled an excuse and stormed out trying to make a conscious effort not to slam the door in her wake but failing miserably.

She only made it partway down the corridor before she heard the very same door she had slammed only a moment ago open and footsteps thudding on the floor growing closer, refused to turn and look back, instead lengthened her stride hoping to deter her follower.

She felt an arm wrap around her own and her first instinct was to swing her elbow around and bury it in the persons face who dared touch her, but for a faint second she hesitated, what if it were Emily following her? She didn't want to hurt her. Before she had the chance to think any further she had been spun around to look into a somewhat concerned face, didn't know whether to rejoice or to recoil it wasn't who she was expecting but that penetrating gaze wasn't necessarily one she wanted either.

"I need a fag" was all she said as she pulled her arm from the grasp and continued down the corridor buzzing her way out the building, she listened and heard the footsteps behind her – of course she would follow it would be too easy to just be left alone in peace for just one moment wouldn't it.

She leant against the wall pulling a cigarette from the pack and placing it in her lips, fumbling for a moment with her lighter before a naked flame appeared before her eyes.

A mumbled thanks was sent before lighting her cigarette, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the wall after taking a couple of tokes, letting the nicotine's calming effect wash over her.

"You know it wasn't your fault" Effy voiced out of the blue. Naomi just kept her eyes closed but if anyone had been watching closely they would have noticed the clench of her fist. Of course Effy would know to mention the exact thing Naomi didn't want to talk about. Effy always just knew - any normal person would ask what's wrong or if everything's alright or something along those lines but not Effy she'd just cut straight to the chase.

It was stupid to deny it but it was all she had so she would stick to her usual facade of not caring and being aloof, poker face was back in full effect even though it was probably completely useless at this very point in time.

"No idea what you're talking about Ef, like I said I needed a fag"

"Sure you did, that's why you ran out there like you'd be burned" Fucking Effy never could just let it go could she.

"What can I say Kilo tits scorned my eyes" Naomi hoped she would get the hint, this conversation just isn't a goer, not now, not ever.

"No wonder you were so excited earlier Ef getting a right eyeful I bet" Naomi's inner cheerleader was telling her to push it to just deflect the conversation away, anywhere but where it was heading - take that Stonem it screamed.

Oddly enough though Effy just stared at her, studied her almost, didn't laugh, didn't comment, didn't retaliate or deny, just simply stared.

"Fitch's are fierce aren't they" she replied cryptically.

Fitch's? Who the fuck are they Naomi thought, she didn't know any Fitch's but the name was familiar, she had read it somewhere but couldn't quite place it. She must have worn a confused expression, either that or Effy really could read her like a book because she elaborated without any request. "Fitch...you know...Katie...Emily – Fitch's"

"Oh" she replied densely and instantly wanted to slap herself, poker face and poker brain definitely not in place then.

Effy just smirked and Naomi knew she had obviously said too much, which was ludicrous because she had barely opened her mouth at all. She flicked her cigarette away, not caring to even finish or stub it out, just left it to burn and instead turned to swipe her card and head back into the building, back to the briefing room where they would be planning, back to Emily, no not just Emily, Emily Fitch her brain corrected her.

* * *

Naomi found herself in an eerily familiar position, crouched low to the ground, Emily at her side guns drawn silencers in place this time as they waited for the signal to go. They were so close together that Naomi could feel the heat radiating from Emily, could hear her breathing even though it hardly made a sound.

Gunshots were heard off in the distance, Naomi's body tensed, prepared itself to spring into action, she flicked the safety off on her firearm, it wouldn't be long now.

She heard the click on her coms link a brief yet clear instruction "server team, move in" she replied with a curt "copy that" and then shared a brief glance with Emily who nodded to signal she was ready.

They moved in rhythm the same as they had from the night of Emilys extraction but this time it wasn't Naomi leading Emily, it wasn't one behind the other in tandem, they were side by side equal in pursuit of their mission.

They made it to the building un-noticed, Naomi kept watch as Emily picked the lock "Right little Fagan you are, aren't you" Emily finished her job and pulled down the handle slightly the door now unlocked before she shot a smirk at Naomi, it was like someone had pumped adrenaline directly into her heart in that instant, just the mission though she reminded herself.

Emily lead the way forward, up the stairs and then hesitated at the edge of the corner, she crouched down and glanced a brief look around the corner, turned back holding two fingers in the air to signal the two guards up ahead. Naomi nodded, they moved on the count of three both rounding the corner and both firing a shot off that stuck the guards removing the danger in one fell swoop.

They moved forwards their footsteps barely making a sound, at the end of the corridor they would part ways, Emily to make the download and Naomi to create the false trail. They had picked a company at random their server far away enough from Karkalov's to cover their tracks, at the break point they shared another nod and turned moving to their individual targets, both heard updates on their ear pieces of the casualties that occurred below but both disregarded them, they had their own mission to complete.

Naomi turned into the room she needed found her server, 21 and secured her firearm back in the holster on her thigh. She reached inside her jacket and pulled out her toolkit rolling it out on the floor below her as she clipped the tiny electrical screwdriver together so she could remove the hardrive. She made quick work of it, gave it a couple of tugs but smiled as it came loose and wiggled free from its position. She tucked her instruments back into the kit and tucked it back inside her jacket with the hard drive before zipping it up and removing her gun from its holster again.

She pressed a hand to her coms link "Hardrive obtained" waited a moment before she heard a brief "copy that, two more minutes for download" she released a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding, not knowing how her partner was faring in her own mission.

"Copy that."

She moved to the doorway still keeping low as she glanced a look down the corridor checking it was clear before moving out quietly heading back to the corridor where here and Emily had parted ways. It was another minute or so before she heard Emily call in, informing that the download was complete. She kept her gun raised glancing in front and behind her as she travelled down the corridor felt yet another wave of relief as she saw Emily heading towards followed by one of fear as she saw someone round the corner behind Emily.

Raised her gun steadied her stance as she shouted to Emily to get down before she fired the shot off dangerously close to Emily but she had no choice, he was raising his weapon to shoot and would have had a clear shot. Naomi's eyes widened with horror as she watched Emily grab her arm as she turned behind her to see the guard behind her slump to the ground.

In an instant Naomi was there moving her hand away fussing, checking her partner who she just shot rather than saved like she had meant to. "It's okay just a scratch, nicked me on the way past I think" Naomi removed her hands, saw the blood on them and instantly reached into her breast pocket to remove a bandage and secure it firmly around Emily's arm, ignoring the protest she received in response. Her hands were steady but her heart was pounding so hard in her chest, her mind screaming so loudly at her, she shot her partner...Jesus two missions with this woman and both complete disasters.

She stood leant a hand down to Emily to help her to her feet, began moving forwards, now wasn't the time to dissect the situation they still needed to get out, get to the teams on the ground so they could move out. She saw Emily go to raise her weapon, saw the grimace of pain on her face replaced almost instantly with determination, another nod and they were surging forwards moving back they way they had entered, stepping over the bodies of the guards they had met earlier. Another one stepped out from a corridor up ahead, Naomi fired, no hesitation and he was down too, a second appeared and this time she heard a shot from behind her as well as her own and he also fell out of sight.

They reached the stairs turned to head down. Naomi let Emily go first whilst she waited at the top keeping a look out left to right making sure there were no surprises to follow them down the stairs. She chanced a quick glance down, saw Emily at the door opening it ever so slightly to get a look out around the premises, heard the instruction in her ear piece "all clear" as she took one final look and then descended the stairs herself.

When Naomwas close to the bottom Emily pushed the door open fully and made a break for it back to their earlier hiding place, as soon as she was there, she was crouched her gun trained on the area around looking for any assailants, whilst Naomi hesitated in the doorway a glancing look around herself and back up the stairwell she had just descended. She heard the brief instruction from Emily to move out and did so putting her full trust in her partner as she left her current place and sprinted over to where Emily was crouched.

Once there Naomi lead the way, moving around the outskirts of the building following the same route they had earlier, meeting up with Kilo's team who were in a fierce exchange with a number of guards. Naomi and Emily dropped down behind cover as they reloaded their weapons.

Naomi turned her position still concealed as she fired a couple of shots off at a guard she had a sight on. She heard Emily's voice through her ear piece "this is server team, mission complete and reconvened with strike force Kilo" she couldn't help but notice the hint of pain barely hidden in that voice and knew she was responsible for it. She didn't turn to look at her though, didn't want to see her face encase it showed the same admission of pain that she had heard in her voice.

"Watchtower copy that, Mission complete all teams move out."

It took maybe two minutes for all of Kilo's team to make it to the truck before they were moving away from the building and on their way to their transport back to the UK, it was only then that Naomi let herself look at Emily, look at her properly.

She looked a little pale but okay otherwise, a hand pressed to her upper arm where the once white bandage was now stained red. "Shit Ems I'm so sorry" she didn't know where the nickname came from didn't really even notice she said it, if it wasn't from the amused look on Emily's face she probably would have never known.

"What?" she questioned confused as to exactly why a woman who had just been caught in the crossfire - quite literally - would be so amused.

"Em's ay" she shot back her eyes sparkling, enjoying teasing her at such an inappropriate moment.

She was about to retort when she heard shuffling from behind her, and saw a mirror of Emily appear next to Emily.

"What the fuck happened to you?" Katie shrieked clearly more irritated than concerned for her twins welfare.

Emily shrugged, gave the same response she had to Naomi when it had happened "Just a scratch."

Katie pulled her hand away and unwound the now red bandage taking a good look "Emily that's not a fucking scratch, that's a fucking bullet wound, who the fuck shot you?"

"I did" Naomi replied.


	4. Shot First, Question Later

Naomi didn't know what possessed her to admit to telling Katie she shot her twin, it felt so out of character for her to have spoken up at all that it threw her, if only for a moment. Normally she would have stayed quiet making her indifference known - she was just doing her job after all, and if she were to speak up it would have at least been phased a little better. Though having said that there didn't seem to be a good way to tell someone you'd shot a member of their family even if it was to save their own life.

Katie didn't appear thrown at all by the circumstances though, she was currently shouting at her practically frothing at the mouth not that Naomi was listening properly having pulled her brain back under her control which just seemed to aggravate Katie more. She was getting more and more irate at the blonde who simply refused to answer or retaliate in any way shape or form, wouldn't even hold her gaze unless it was to roll her eyes.

All the time Naomi's eyes were on the near identical version of Katie over her shoulder, firmly fixed on Emily except for the occasional eye roll when Katie's ranting reached exceptional levels that were worthy of an award.

Naomi couldn't help but notice the slower rise and fall of Emily's chest than you would normally expect, presumed it was due to Emily making a conscious effort to keep in control, probably pushing the pain from her mind. It was a technique Naomi herself had used, slowing your heart rate down allowing you to remain in control, distracting yourself from the pain. If she cared she might even feel guilty about causing that pain but she reminded herself it was just a danger of the job, not her problem.

Almost twenty minutes passed and Katie was still telling Naomi how useless she was and how she wasn't fit to be Emily's partner on assignments _blah blah blah._ It was about this point that Naomi was grateful that the safe house was only just over twenty minutes away and any minute now they would roll up and finally Naomi could get away from the crazy ranting Fitch before she felt the need to pull her gun from her thigh holster and show Katie what happened when she really wanted to shoot someone.

As soon as the van arrived at the safe house Naomi was gone, left the rest of the team to sort themselves out as she headed inside to find some sanctuary, a few moments of peace and quiet to gather her own thoughts.

If she were honest Katie wasn't far wrong in some of her flippant comments which had also partly been the fuel behind her current rage. Naomi wasn't a team player, she didn't play all that well with others or at least with those people she didn't know and didn't trust. There were certain individuals she worked well with, take Effy for example they had done so many ops now that they were almost completely in tune.

It was never a problem for Effy with her infuriating all seeing ways but for Naomi she had to learn Effy's mannerisms, her tells. It hadn't taken long but the point was that it wasn't there naturally and Emily was no different. Yes she could read body language and tell if someone was lying or when they were getting ready to strike but to understand someone's thought processes on such a level just wasn't as simple at first glance.

Emily was like a good book, she needed to be studied, read from cover to cover inside out and out so you could get beneath the first impression and really see what she was made of, so you could pick up on those traits that you had glossed over on first inspection, to find the little details that made her, that made her tick. Two operations were no where near enough time to be working completely in tune with Emily and taking that fact into consideration Naomi 's brain was there defending them, telling her they had worked reasonably well together, after all it hadn't been a complete disaster. Yes she would be the first to admit there had been hitches on both counts but they had in the end completed the jobs successfully.

Katie's words had stung her somewhat though, the thought of not working with Emily again irked her, in fact it irritated her that Katie would even suggest such a thing though she couldn't quite seem to put her finger on just exactly why it was that it bothered her so much. She didn't need Emily, didn't need a partner. Naomi Campbell didn't need anyone, not now nor would she ever that wasn't the way it worked. Yes she worked with others but generally it wasn't by choice but by necessity. She had done plenty of jobs solo and if she were honest they had certainly gone a lot smoother than her last two.

Naomi spent the time waiting for their transport to the airport mulling over Katie's last words, about why Katie had chosen the exact words about her not being fit to work with Emily, it was specific it wasn't a generalisation and the only reason for that had to be jealousy, Katie was jealous because she was running the ops with Emily. It had to be that. There was no other logical reason as to why Katie was so angry, well except for that small tiny little fact that was the pristine white bandage that would surely be secured around Emily's recently treated arm.

Naomi smirked to herself, ammunition of jealousy always presented an opportunity for exploitation and Katie had managed to rub her up the wrong way just enough to almost be deserving of a little Campbell revenge.

Whether it was good fortune or just lucky timing the same person that had initiated those thoughts also interrupted them with a rather impressive scathing remark before telling her their transport was here, Naomi was glad, she couldn't wait to get to the airport, to get on the plane and just get the hell away from the situation all together, though of course she stored that vital piece of information for future use, revenge was after all a dish best served cold.

A short trip to the airport, an almost agonising two hour delay with plenty of drinks at the bar and finally she was seated on the plane her nose pressed to the glass as she stated into the dark sky outside the window. She was marginally tipsy enjoying the warmth that spread throughout her body thanks to the drinks she had the fortune of consuming as they waited for their flight to be called. It had also been more time that she had been left in peace to remain calm as Katie had dragged Emily off to the duty free shops for an age, she had watched from afar as Katie held outfit after outfit up to Emily before placing it the basket Emily was carrying and moving onto the next item. Naomi scoffed, _poor Emily_ Katie's not going to let you out of her sight for a while_._

Katie had indeed kept close by to Emily and had shopped the pair of them into a slumber, as now on the plane she was fast asleep snoring softly in the seat by the isle. In between Naomi and Katie sat Emily who was also asleep though not snoring like her twin, her head was tilted to the side leaving her neck partly exposed as she breathed slow and steady. Maybe it was her fuzzy alcohol brain that told her it was interesting or just sheer curiosity to identify the differences in the twins but she couldn't help but stare and compare them. Even in sleep they had a mixture of similarities and differences.

Katie for example had her lips parted and was slumped in her seat turned slightly on her side towards Emily with her legs stretched out but still pressed together, it looked uncomfortable if she were honest to be slumped and turned at such an angle, but each to their own.

Emily in contrast had both her bare feet off the floor, she was turned towards Naomi her back towards Katie, one leg tucked underneath her with her other foot on the seat as she hugged her leg to her chest. Her cheek was pressed into her knee which caused the tilt in her head exposing the soft alabaster skin of her neck but she like her twin also had her lips parted as she puffed out gentle breath after breath.

Naomi shook her head and sat back in her seat, Effy was right these Fitch's certainly were...well they were something, exactly what she hadn't decided on just yet but she knew right now that it wasn't something she would dwell on, she had other matters to consider matters like the second server that they had stolen.

When Naomi had suggested the 'random company' she had of course been lying ever so slightly, she had a feeling there would be valuable information on the server and that was the reason that she had stolen it whole and complete instead of just making it look as though it had been tampered with.

It would undoubtedly fetch a reasonable price and if there was something that came in handy it was always easy money, plus she already knew exactly who she could contact to analyse the hard drive and set up the trade, all perfectly planned in advance as always.

She smiled to herself as she closed her eyes.

Working with Emily had definitely been a success so far.

* * *

Back in England they had been debriefed before Naomi collected her payment and was on her way, she was graced with a brief scowl from Katie to which she threw back a smirk knowing it would have far more of an effect than one of her more common icy stares, thought for a moment about taking the time to go and check on Emily, wind Katie up that little bit more, decided not to though.

She jumped in her car dumping her bag on the passenger seat next to her before picking up her phone and hitting call. It took a couple of rings but it wasn't long until a booming voice was on the other end of the phone.

"Blondie fucking hell babe, where the fuck you been?"

Naomi smiled to herself, it was good to hear his voice, not that she would ever admit it.

"Never you mind you wanker, its need to know and you don't need to know"

She heard him chuckle on the other end of the phone "awww babe you know I love it when you hold out on me, the challenge is all in the chase yeah? Anyway as much as I love you babe, Cookie has spotted a class one perfect ten, hot as fuck and primed for the taking and unless you're calling me to settle that willy waggle wager I'm not about to pass up an opportunity so make it quick"

She rolled her eyes, typical cook always thinking with his cock "tomorrow night, 11pm, aces. I have a little proposition for you. Happy hunting Cook" Naomi hung up not even waiting for a response. Cook would be there, they had an unwritten agreement, a level of comradery that only existed between partners in crime.

* * *

Naomi walked into the club a little after ten thirty, always made the conscious decision to arrive earlier than they had agreed to meet giving herself the opportunity to scout out her surroundings, look for anything even remotely suspicious not that she was expecting it. She and Cook always hid their meetings within a great deal of drinking it served two purposes and always worked perfectly.

To the common observer they were just two friends sharing a drink and then if anyone was watching they never transferred documents or and significant information here, just discussed it, perhaps showed an image on a phone, something small that wouldn't look out of place, anything major to exchange was then left in secure drop boxes that they always had pre-arranged. They had a number of them all duplicate keys or common keycodes so they could both access to transfer information back and forth, some in secure locations such as bank safety deposit boxes and others less conspicuous like gym room lockers it all depended on how important the information was as to what route they chose.

They had been doing this for years, and not once had the connection been made. It really did work like clockwork and had been ever since Naomi had first started pulling in the big jobs, ever since Cook caught Naomi stealing one of his mums paintings. But instead of handing her into the police he'd asked her 'where to blondie' and then ripped the painting next to him from the wall also. Of course Cook being Cook back then had a motto of act first think after and hadn't disabled the alarm before yanking the picture from the wall, which meant that they had to leg it before the cops arrived.

Cook however with a little guidance had proved himself to be a very worthy contact, he was a go to guy, a man with his finger in many pies, and probably his cock in just as many too.

Naomi grabbed a drink from the bar and headed up to the first floor balcony, to a particular area that was mostly concealed in darkness except for the odd flash of strobe lights that lit the area.

She leant against the railing as her eyes surveyed the crowd below her, bodies bounced in motion to the hypnotic beat blaring out around her and at first glance a lot of the people looked like they'd already had a skin full, pretty impressive for the early hour or maybe she should say pretty pathetic as it could mean they were a rather cheap night out.

She sipped on her drink, deciding to start slow on a corona and lime rather than hit the heavy stuff, there was still at least business to be done before she could relax a little and no doubt cook would be handing her shot after shot within the hour, another reason why they never kept anything of high importance on them because they normally left off their tits.

Her eyes continued to scan through the crowd and she spotted a handful of familiar faces, two of which were almost identical familiar faces in fact. Effy, Katie, Emily and a few of others Naomi recognised from Vendetta were on the lower level bouncing along with the crowd.

In her time at the agency she had received the odd invitation out, only from Effy of course but it was always turned down and after a while Effy just stopped inviting her. Not that it bothered her. She wasn't there to make friends after all, but having said that she couldn't help but watch the group below her interact with curiosity.

Watch the way that Katie shamelessly threw herself on the closest hot guy, the way that Emily whispered something in Effy's ear immediately after and the pair of them burst out laughing before the whole group headed to the bar leaving Katie to reel her man in.

She continued watching them as she sipped on the drink in her hands until she was left with nothing but an empty bottle and a buzzing mind and yet she still continued to watch them rather than head to get another drink. Effy had spotted her a while ago, as steel blue eyes meet cold blue ones a knowing glance was exchanged but other than that her presence had gone by unnoticed.

She felt a pair of hands grab her hips firmly and spin her around before a hard body was pressed against hers pinning her forcefully against the balcony railing.

"See something you like blondie" he spoke to her closely, his hot breath tickling her ear.

She smiled glad for the distraction and linked her hands behind his neck as she pushed him back from her slightly, they danced closely together their hips swaying in unison, ignored his question as she leaned in close pulling their bodies flush again.

"You're early" she admonished. He smiled that toothy fucking shit eating grin at her knowing instantly he'd touched on something she didn't want to talk about, but Cook knowing her as well as he did wouldn't push the issue, she wouldn't hesitate for one minute to kick him in the balls and walk out of here taking not only his opportunity of making some cash but also his opportunity to get laid.

He decided instead to just get straight to business pulled her hands from his neck and turned her around her back now pressed to his front as he held her hips and ground into her ass making her look out over the balcony again.

"What can I say plenty of hot women in here tonight, spoilt for choice babe, so what was it that you said about a proposition" he ground just a bit harder into her arse to accentuate his point. Naomi threw her head back against his shoulder and let out a throaty laugh, trust cook to associate any sort of proposition with sex.

She turned her head towards him "Cook I wouldn't shag you if we were the remaining hope for the human race, plus I know where your cocks been" it was Cooks turn to laugh this time before he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Fair do's blondie fair do's, so what's this job then"

"Some information I acquired, a hard drive for Elstair Tech, could be something of value on there we can sell but it's encrypted"

Cook smiled at her "I've got just the guy for the job babe don't you worry"

"Good, drop box 27 three days from now" he nodded to her, "No worries babe, now there's just one problem" she raised an eyebrow at him in question, had a feeling this wasn't a problem about their job or the drop site. Her suspicions were confirmed when he grinned at her and grabbed her hand before dragging her to the bar ordering a row of shots.

"Need to seal deal don't we" he winked before passing her the first shot and raising his glass.

"Deal" she agreed smiling herself now as the pair of them threw the first shot back and reached for the next.

* * *

Three hours later Naomi found herself back on the same balcony, a glass of amber liquid in her hands as she bopped her head to the beat her now fuzzy vision on the crowd below but not really looking at anything in particular, just enjoying the frenzied movement and the flashing lights.

It was the usual result, Cook had gotten her drunk and then fucked off at the first sight of tail but not before kissing her and thrusting a pill in her mouth that she accepted without much thought. Probably not the best of ideas but not the first time she had a little help to take her away from her life, a welcomed release if not a reckless one.

Naomi felt as though she were being watched, instinctively scanned the crowd properly looking for the culprit. Those steel blue eyes were on her again, watching her as she danced in the crowd surrounded by people who never had a hope in hell of touching her. She was playing a game with them, it was rather fascinating to watch, pulling them in one by one but discarding them and focusing on the next just when they thought they were in with a chance. Laughable really, everyone who knew Effy knew she was untouchable unless she wanted you there.

Naomi raised her glass to Effy in a signal of cheers before she laughed at the sight before her, Effy curling a finger signalling her to join her. Wasn't sure what was more laughable the fact that Effy had a handful of people around her not noticing the silent conversation or that she was actually considering it.

_Fuck it._

Naomi threw the contents of her glass back in one gulp, didn't even feel the burn anymore, made her way to the stairs, she was here alone already drunk and felt like fucking dancing, Effy was there alone and she was already dancing, so what the hell!

It didn't take long to find Effy, the frenzied group around her having disappeared somewhat now that the whole group from the agency had returned from the bar as they were all holding a shot in one hand and a bottle in the other.

Naomi hesitated, Effy wasn't alone. In her moment of fuzzy alcohol brainlessness she had completely forgotten the rest of the agency were here. Dancing and joking about with Effy was one thing with the whole group something else entirely, especially when her guard was down and especially when Katie Fitch probably wanted to get some drunken revenge.

Before she had a chance to escape and evade, or more like stumble and fall a bit, the choice was taken from her as Emily was there bouncing on her feet in front of her, her hair damp and stuck to her forehead.

She watched as Emily leaned in and grabbed her in a crushing hug at the same time as spilling her drink down Naomi's back, causing her to arch her back into the hug pressing their bodies together.

"Ef said you were here!" Emily shouted in her ear loudly, still completely oblivious to her now half empty shot glass.

Naomi didn't respond, just nodded as she shifted her glance back and forth looking for Effy finding those amused blue eyes watching her. She'd been set up, bloody Effy.

Emily though was completely oblivious, paid no attention and just carried on with her currently one sided conversation. "Thought I'd seen you earlier, but didn't think it was you, doesn't seem like your sort of place"

Naomi raised her eyebrow in question, quite impressed that she still had enough of her faculties about her to be able to manage that, curiosity had taken over where her annoyance at Effy had previously stood. Emily had been thinking about the sort of place she would spend her time in?

"What sort of place did you expect to find me in then" she questioned

Emily crinkled her nose, maybe hadn't thought that far ahead after all. "Dunno some place a bit more...posh or something, less...Katie like...you know?"

Naomi leaned in and replied cryptically "There's plenty you don't know about me Emily Fitch"

Emily's smile widened as she pushed her half empty shot glass into Naomi's hand, raised her own bottle in the air.

"Here's to hoping Katie doesn't kill you so I get to find out"

* * *

**A bit of light-hearted fun there towards the end, or so my sleepy brain thought! Anyway the gang starting to appear...Cook first more will follow and I'm sure you all know who will be analysing that hard drive...bobbins! Ha**

**Just wanted to say thanks for the reviews, alerts etc you guys rock.**

**As I'm stupidly busy at work this week, this was only briefly read over so I apologies if there's any mistakes but I have like zero time this week and probably won't get to update again so I'm posting it as it is and hope you'll forgive me for any errors.**

**Also Happy Holidays and all that Jazz! Will try and get another update in before new year.**


	5. Death and Deception

**Thanks for the alerts and reviews, you lot are awesome! I had hoped to get this out before the New Year but you know how it goes, other things got in the way so yeah a bit later than planned but here none the less.**

**Skins isn't mine, if it was I'd have sat it down for some relationship advice because lets face it, it created one of the most amazing couples when all the dust settled.**

* * *

Checking her watch she glanced at the time, smiled as it confirmed there was just enough time for a quick cigarette before she had to meet Cook and his new whiz kid.

It was only yesterday she had dropped the hard drive at the agreed location and in theory Cook shouldn't have collected it until this morning, to call a meet so quickly must mean they definitely found something of interest and she was a little more than curious to find out what they uncovered. She glanced at her watch again and flicked the butt of her cigarette to the floor. No time like the present to find out.

Walking in she quickly surveyed the area before spotting Cook in a booth who nodded to her before raising a beer and then pointing to her left. She rolled her eyes at him before casually strolling to the bar to buy three beers and then headed to join them. Tonight wasn't a night for heavy drinking, but one or two wouldn't hurt, plus her last little drinking experience with Cook had resulted in a rather interesting yet somewhat foolish outcome.

It seemed taunting Katie Fitch about Emily was rather foolish especially when drunk with an arm wrapped around Emily's shoulders as she leant on the smaller woman despite the fact they were both pissed and Emily was just as useless at standing straight as she was by this point.

Katie had appeared from nowhere within minutes of Emily and Naomi finishing their third round of drinks, there had been some taunting and maybe a little more body contact than was necessary as Naomi had purposefully dangled her arm almost possessively over Emily secretly enjoying it, enjoying the reaction it created in Katie. But the amusement was short lived though as Emily was harshly pulled from her grasp and then dragged out of the club by her rather irate twin some garbled words thrown over her shoulder that Naomi hadn't quite caught thanks to the base of the music and the fuzziness in her head.

She hadn't seen or heard from any of them since, not that she expected to, yet she couldn't help but consider her night in general, from her business with Cook to her dancing and drinking and banter with Emily and Effy.

Emily was definitely nothing like Katie, far more laid back, far less aggressive it seemed too, someone that Naomi enjoyed not only working with despite their recent pass rate but someone that she enjoyed drinking with, socialising with, laughing and dancing with, something she wasn't used to feeling especially from someone she had spent so little time with.

She was roused from her thoughts by the rough yet comforting voice of Cook "Alright Blondie" he asked as he grabbed the beer as soon as she had put it on the table and took a few gulps then proceeded to belch loudly - _lovely_. "Jaykins Blondie, Blondie JJ."

Naomi smirked, always one with words was our dear Cook. As Naomi turned to the guy sitting to her right she saw him hastily rubbing his palm on his jacket before holding it out to be shaken. "Jeremiah Jones at your service, but everyone calls me JJ except for Cook, then its Jaykins or Gay-Jay which is ironic as I only ever kissed a guy the one time and that was because I lost the bet and it wasn't like I fancied him or anything, I mean I fancy women - boobs and everything - I love a good pair of knock-"

"Gay-Jay" Cook reprimands him firmly yet kindly as he slides his beer across.

"Right...yes...gotcha...sorry...I...er..." Naomi shakes his hand smiling gently finding his awkwardness rather endearing "Pleasure to meet you JJ."

"Pleasure yes pleasure but not an erotic sort of pleasure... not that I don't think you're hot or anyth-"

"Jay-Jay!" Cook stepped in again more forcefully with a shake of his head not that JJ could see with his eyes firmly fixed on the table in front of him.

"Oh shitification I've done it again bollocks you stupid cocking moronic tosser of a wan-" JJ stopped abruptly as he whipped his head around and stared at his hand which was now placed on Naomi's chest, her own hand covering his, holding it there for just a moment before pulling it away now he had stopped rambling.

Cooks laughter echoed in the bar at the sight before him, only barely audible over the loud chatter which was surprising given the early hour. A rather flushed yet speechless looking JJ was currently doing a wonderful impersonation of a fish at he stared at his hand in disbelief and at Naomi who was looking rather bored and disinterested at the situation, completely un-phased.

"Nice one blondie" he chuckled "but how come Gay-Jay here gets to cop a feel and the Cookie monster just gets access denied, huh?"

Naomi rolled her eyes "Because JJ here is more of a gentleman than you'll ever be Cook, now as much as I'd love to sit and banter this out with you I quite frankly can't be bothered and I've had nowhere near enough alcohol to try. I assume there's a reason you called me here?"

Cook sat back in his seat, shit eating grin firmly in place "You bet that cute ass of yours there's a reason we called you, tell her what you found Jaykins."

JJ took a moment to pull himself together before he starting rambling on about encryptions, ciphers and algorithms that she wasn't really interested in, if she had known how to crack the hard drive she would have done it herself rather than having called Cook. It was only after a few moments that JJ had mentioned the designs for a programme that Elstair had been working on that she started to pay attention.

"Its brilliant really, a COMSAT orbiting controlled by a programme that links in to government tracking technology scrambles signals and distorts data, completely undetected of course. It would be worth a fortune really but there are some fundamental flaws with the design - they are routing through the fifth conduit but personally I'd move it to the third and run a by-pass thro-"

"JJ" Naomi interrupted him waiting till he looked at her before she continued "You mean to tell me the designs were on that hard drive, the full specs for the satellite and the programme?"

He nodded animatedly obviously more than excited about the discovery he had made. "Absolutely there are like I said some flaws but I estimate that any half decent programmer could finish it without too much difficulty."

She chanced a look at Cook who still had his grin in place but it was fading as he continued to stare at Naomi "What?" he questioned now a little unsure.

Naomi shook her head not bothering to cover her concern "I heard about this a while back, it's called Onyx right?" she turned to JJ for confirmation who nodded.

"It's basically black market stuff, like JJ said they can scramble satellite feeds, distort or even block information, can make entire buildings disappear at least from a bird's eye view. It'll allow black trade with no detection from the enforcement agencies or at least that's the theory, basically render tracking systems like echelon useless. It's been tried before of course but no one I knew of had succeeded - until now it seems. I had no idea that they would...Jesus..." she trailed off.

Cook stared at her, his grin now completely gone as he took in the view across from him of Naomi spooked by the task before them. "You don't think we can shift it?" he asked.

She looked up "Oh we can shift it alright, of that I have no doubt this thing is like liquid gold. I'm more concerned about the staying alive part after shifting it."

JJ across from her looked rather unsettled almost completely shit scared after her declaration.

"Your guy JJ here's right, it would be worth a fortune which is what's going to make it so high profile to shift and you can pretty much guarantee that Elstair are going to be tracking any sign of a sale, they'll know it's out there now. I suppose the only advantage that we have is that they aren't likely to openly admit to this being their creation" Naomi chewed her bottom lip, deep in thought.

Cook frowned "Wait, you don't think they would admit to having created it?"

Naomi laughed for all his skills and connections Cook could be really stupid sometimes and seems to forget half...well most the stuff they do isn't exactly above board "Not for a minute, it's illegal Cook!" she proclaimed quietly "If any law enforcement agencies got wind - any single one of them the company would fall like a house of cards. This technology might be worth a fortune but they stand to lose far more if they admitted to it."

Cook sat back silent for a few moments, before he snapped his fingers "So why don't we sell it to a third party on the sly, let them make the high profile sell, let them take the rap?"

It was a good idea but still dangerous. There was no honour among thieves, they wouldn't hesitate for a second to rat them out when the big bad came knocking. She frowned "Possible, we need some time."

She knew Cooks idea had some mileage in it with some adjustments at least, selling to a third party could come back to them especially if they approached through their own contacts it was too risky and too easy to link it all back together, back to her and back to the agency, more importantly to link her and Cook. It could ruin everything she had been working towards. The only guarantee to pull it off safely would be to make the sale completely anonymous, something she couldn't achieve without a little help from a trusted friend.

"You still have it right?" she asked.

Cook nodded "yeah, we didn't get time to take it back plus JJ here still had some more work he wanted to do, locked up safe and sound though don't fret babe."

She leaned forward on her seat "good box it back up, highest security, make a new one if need be don't tell me where and don't tell anyone about this" she looked pointedly at JJ, knew Cook was capable of keeping his mouth shut even under the torture of a blade, JJ however seemed ready to spew his life story at the first sign of pressure from a pin and was already starting to perspire just after the brief conversation he'd been privy too.

"N-No problem, my lips are s-sealed" JJ squeaked which did nothing to improve her confidence in his ability to keep schtum, but it was too late, this was one risk she couldn't control in the traditional sense.

She looked at Cook as she stood abruptly "I'll call you."

Naomi waited stirring her spoon in her drink though having no real intension of drinking it. It was more of a distraction and a suitable cover to help her blend in as she waited for her contact. She found herself in a cafe at a service station off the M40, not a location of her choosing but rather that of her trusted ally.

She had wasted no time in arranging the meet as soon as she left the bar, time wasn't entirely on their side but not against them strictly speaking either, take too long though and there was definitely a chance that it would run out. The hour glass had been turned, the sand was pouring.

A voice spoke softly from behind her "more philosophical thoughts I see."

Naomi didn't need to turn to see who it was, she would recognise that voice anywhere but of course she turned anyway. "You can't see my thoughts Anthea" she chided with a coy smile on her face at the sight of her old mentor.

Anthea slipped into the seat opposite her and snatched Naomi's now lukewarm drink taking a sip "I don't need to see them darling, you're still as easy to read as you were years ago, like an open book to me."

Naomi snorted but didn't bother arguing back, it was pointless Anthea was indeed the master, queen and glory of all things stealthy and the only person that Naomi really trusted without question, well mostly without question.

"How's that lovely daughter of mine then?" Anthea asked no hint of emotion, concern or anything in her voice, entirely unreadable.

Naomi smiled, she hadn't mentioned to Anthea that she was working with Effy, but of course Anthea would know exactly what she had been up to. "She's very much like her mother, an infuriating insufferable know it all that doesn't miss a trick"

"Can't be that much of a know it all as she still thinks I'm responsible for her father's death" Anthea retorted coldly.

If Naomi didn't know her as well as she did, she wouldn't have noticed the flash of hurt and anger in Anthea's eyes however brief it may have been. "It was perfectly executed, very convincing but that was the point surely?"

Naomi stared firmly at Anthea holding her gaze hoping to see another reaction but of course saw none, that brief moment was all Anthea was sharing it seemed, so she decided to push her luck slightly. "How is Jim or Harry now is it? Enjoying the tropical life is he?" She asked amused, which only increased when she was graced with a rather impressive scowl across from her.

"You know, maybe I trained you a little too well Miss Campbell, that little piece of information was meant to stay hidden."

Naomi smirked "What can I say I learnt from the best."

Anthea smirked right back enjoying the banter "Yes, yes you did, which begs the question of why we're here, you know if you're so great and all."

Naomi chuckled, she had missed this, the easy flow of sarcasm and playful teasing between them despite the fact that they hadn't seen each other for well over a year now. The last time they had been together had been to fake Effy's dads death, not something that had bothered her at the time, she hadn't met Effy and Effy didn't know she existed either, it was just another job back then.

But dear Jim had gotten himself in a spot of trouble, well over his head and at the threat of pulling his children into the mess he created led to him turning to his ex-wife for a solution. The fall out however had been that they had unintentionally made Anthea look responsible for the murder, thanks to Effy walking in with Anthea holding a syringe over her ex husband. Effy making her own decision as she held her dead father in her arms, though of course not dead but more drugged to appear so.

It was harsh, cruel and now knowing Effy as well as she did Naomi felt guilty for having deceived her. But as she told herself then, and continues to do so now it was for the greater good, her father was alive and well, Effy and her brother also both alive and well and in no danger at least not from that particular problem.

"I have an item to sell and an idea of who to sell it to, the only problem is that I can't be associated with it, figured you wouldn't be adverse to making a little extra for that retirement fund of yours..." Naomi knew it was a lame excuse, it didn't matter if it paid a penny or a million, she just wanted to get Anthea's attention and this was the perfect way to do it.

"Darling you know as well as I do that I couldn't spend my entire retirement fund if I tried, so what is it that you aren't telling me" Anthea asked just as Naomi had been hoping, banking on the traditional know it all nature of the Stonem's to pick up on the exact thing she hadn't said.

This little piece of information would seal the deal, for the organisation that had put her family in danger were the same one that Naomi intended to sell Onyx too. The very organisation that her ex husband had cocked it all up with and ironically the very same organisation that their daughter and Naomi now worked for.

"What would you say if I told you that the company we were selling to were Vendetta, and we weren't so much as selling to them, but rather stitching them up for a spot of bother, for something they probably won't actually want to sell on?"

Anthea leaned forward on her seat her voice low, cold, calculated but her eyes sparkling with excitement at the opportunity presented to her. "Then I'd say you've got yourself a deal darling."

They purchased a couple of drinks to keep up the facade as they sat together discussing the details. Naomi explained the exact item they had to trade, Anthea had been somewhat impressed that it was indeed the Onyx programme that she herself had looked into a while back, but the trail had run cold, though of course she didn't miss the opportunity to point out that Naomi came across it by luck rather than any form of skill.

An half hour later they had agreed a course of action. Anthea would set up the sale posing as a government resistance group that had stolen the programme from a fictitious company, they would make the trade for unmarked Eurobonds a relatively reasonable sum, not extortionate to make sure that Vendetta snapped the sale up.

Naomi would contact Cook and have him arrange for JJ to load the specs and programme onto a portable device that couldn't be traced back to Elstair or the server farm in Zurich. Meanwhile Anthea would assemble a small yet trusted team that would be the ones to make the exchange. Naomi herself would of course be out of the question as she had no doubt that Vendetta would call her into make the trade on their behalf.

A strict code of secrecy was to be adhered to, they would all be masked and their voices altered so they could remain an anonymous resistance group. All necessary precautions to prevent any complications from Vendetta double crossing them or finding their identities, something that both Naomi and Anthea were certain they were capable of if they had the motive or opportunity.

After some deliberation they had finally settled on a group of four individuals plus Anthea herself.

Anthea and Cook would of course be present as well as a quirky blonde called Pandora Moon that was a master with throwing knives, any blade in fact be it sword or dagger. Freddie Mclair would be the fourth team member, a weapons specialist who was often a little trigger happy yet a brilliant marksman.

Finally the fifth member would be Anthea's new protégé, not something that Naomi was happy about but she trusted Anthea with her life so she wouldn't question her choice of bringing an unknown in.

Finally the only remaining complication was how to protect themselves. Guns were somewhat unwise considering the fact that more than likely Naomi and Effy would be on Vendettas trade team but to not take any form of weapon would be foolish.

In the end they decided the only wise choice would be tranquiliser guns - darts for Pandora of course, effective yet not deadly. It would be a condition of the trade and that way it should keep everyone safe. As a last resort they would rig the area with a gas that would knock anyone out in seconds, Anthea's team would be prepared with masks to prevent this from happening to them. Naomi herself would have to suffer the gas if it came to it but it was a small sacrifice to ensure the success of the trade and also limit the possibility of capture.

"We're set then" Naomi stated as she stood in unison with Anthea.

"We're set, wonderful doing business with you Miss Campbell" Anthea finished with a wink and held out her hand which Naomi shook but squeaked when she was pulled into a bone crushing hug by Anthea.

Anthea held her tightly whispered in her ear so low that she barely heard it herself "Thank you for looking after my baby."

Naomi smiled, it wasn't unheard of but it was unexpected, it was a sign of their relationship, they were always more than apprentice and master despite what everyone thought.

"She does the same for me, I hope one day you'll be able to thank her too."

Anthea didn't reply just released Naomi and walked off without a glance back.

Anthea had held her end of the deal, arranged the meet and as expected she had received the call from Ames an urgent briefing called the very next afternoon ready for the trade the following evening.

His briefing had been short yet even Naomi could feel the tension and excitement in the room radiating from Ames. He was always looking for ways to get into and stay in the good graces of the board being the snivelling arse licking prick he was.

Naomi was sat in the room in her usual seat, Effy to her left and Angelo, Katie and Emily to her right all listening intently. She took the opportunity to look at the occupants in the room only half listening to the briefing, she after all had been the one to design the meet with Anthea she knew exactly how it was planned to go ahead. But she didn't trust Ames not to double cross them so had at least paid some attention encase he had any sneaky tactics up his sleeve.

Angelo was sat nearest Ames, listening intently taking notes occasionally although why Naomi wasn't exactly sure. Katie was in complete contrast to Angelo she looked bored as she stared at her Nails checking for chips it seemed, occasionally giving Ames a sickly sweet smile when she felt his eyes on her. It was laughable that Katie had already found the way to keep him securely in her pocket. An occasional flash of ample cleavage and a flutter of the eyelids was all it took apparently _pervert_.

She moved her gaze to Emily and was met with those warm brown eyes staring back at her own, an eyebrow raised in challenge as Naomi had been staring at Katie for sometime apparently, though her gaze held amusement rather than distaste.

Naomi smirked and raised her own eyebrow copying Emily's as she folded her arms, leaning back in her seat a hint of smugness gracing her features as her blue eyes held Emily's gaze.

It was completely unprofessional, rather childish really but Naomi couldn't help herself and considering the briefing only required part of her attention she didn't really see any harm in it. Plus if Katie noticed it would certainly piss her off and Naomi had realised if there was something she was good at it was winding Katie Fitch up. It was strange really, the last time they had been here the sight of Emily had unnerved her, made her falter slightly but now she was completely at ease and not only joking about but also finding the entire experience one she actually looked forward to. As if she had done a complete one eighty from the person sitting here last and the only thing she could put it down to had been their time together in the club. It was the same playful banter that Naomi had with Effy though without the mystery that always surrounded Effy and her cryptic comments.

Their missions had been serious, they joked a little yes, what partners didn't? But they got the job done, only really speaking if necessary and then it was completely back to codenames and a regimented code that all of the agency used whether intentional or not.

But in the club with all that gone all that was left was Naomi and Emily, and Emily certainly wasn't the same person Naomi had met on that very first extraction, she was so much more than the shadow she had seen that had almost lost it for a while back there.

No, Emily from the other night - the real Emily - was nothing like that Emily from their first meeting, this one was quick witted, a tongue so sharp her jibes gave you lashes, not that she really stood any chance of winning with Naomi when she got in full swing.

She was in great physical shape something Naomi had noticed when Emily had stumbled drunkenly and she had reached out to steady her but instead had ended up with an armful of Emily.

Lastly she had a feeling the smaller woman was deceptively strong if the bruise on her arm was anything to go by. One scathing remark and Naomi had found herself on the receiving end of a well aimed fist in her bicep that had certainly left a bruise and even in her inebriated state she had felt it, well that is if her fuzzy mind remembered it correctly.

It hadn't taken long for the briefing to end and all too soon the playful yet silent game with Emily was over and it was time to be serious now and make sure she guided the job to come off to meet her own needs. There was no real margin for error, she couldn't risk any of her friends being identified and she couldn't risk it all being tied back to her thievery.

Ames' instructions had been clear, make the trade and hand over the cash. The price was cheap apparently which Naomi was mildly miffed at now she knew they could have gotten more but alas it was too late now and putting the price up could lead to a double cross so it wasn't worth it.

So long as no one on team Vendetta or team Resistance got any funny ideas it should all be plain sailing. Naomi was confident her team were good, Ames had given her the lead, something that had caused a muttered curse from Katie.

As for Resistance, well Anthea had that one, they were a good bunch she had worked with both Pandora and Freddie before both were more than capable of following orders, Cook too of course could do as he was told if the situation was dire enough which just left the wildcard protégé. But that was Anthea's problem, she had to keep her protégé in check that wasn't exactly something that Naomi could control.

They had over an hour until they were meeting in an abandoned building. Naomi decided the best way to spend her time was to train a little, the last couple of days had been so hectic she hadn't really had an opportunity. She changed quickly and then didn't waste any time in warming up and stretching out her taut muscles before then running through a martial arts routine with precision and control, allowing her mind to wander as her body went through the motions she had drilled into it.

She had spent maybe half hour or so running through her routine before she heard the light clearing of a throat behind her and quickly whipped around her stance threatening as she hadn't expected to be disturbed.

Emily was there leaning against the door frame the familiar smirk and raised eyebrow back on her face. She was also dressed in training gear a simple pair of shorts and sleeveless tank top. Naomi couldn't help but notice how tiny Emily looked but how strong her body appeared.

Naomi relaxed "May I help you" she asked in the most formal tone she could muster.

"Mmhmm" Emily hummed, her voice was low it drew Naomi in, demanded her attention "Effy told me there was a rather talented fighter training" she took a step forward dragging her feet somewhat with her hands clasped together behind her back "I don't suppose you could point me in their direction?" she asked as her eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Cheeky cow" Naomi chided her as grabbed her gloves and slipped them on before waiting for Emily to do the same.

They bowed before standing tall and circling one another bouncing lightly on their feet as they took the time to gauge their opponent. Neither had seen each other fight, all their missions had been distance shooting and hadn't really given anything away about their close combat skills.

Emily moved first stepping in with a swift kick to Naomi's midsection, which she had little time to deflect and instead just took the blow as she danced away. They circled each other again Naomi watching Emily's body waiting for the sign that signalled she was going to move in, she saw it briefly though had little time to react but just enough time to jump a leg sweet that was thrown her way. It was curious how quickly Emily moved, much faster than she had anticipated and certainly much faster than she herself moved.

She let Emily move again watching her body, studying her learning her tells, the muscle tenses that gave her away, she couldn't react quick enough to Emily and beat her with speed or strength as her body had found out from a couple of swift blows in quick succession when she had tried this first time. Even though she had landed shots in retaliation they weren't enough to give her an advantage.

She continued to let Emily make the first move, continued to study and as she learned they began to spar exchanging blocks and blows in fluid motion, neither gaining an advantage at first.

Emily was working on reaction, letting her body guide her, it was natural and strong, determined but Naomi's quick studying started to pay off, it allowed her to plan out her attack taking advantage of the gaps in Emily's defences.

They were both panting slightly, a light sheen of sweat on their skin now as they danced around each other again, both smirking but their eyes alert and bright.

"That all you got Fitch" Naomi taunted not daring let show that one of Emily's kicks had left a dull ache behind in her forearm.

Emily laughed her voice husky "I'm just getting warmed up." Within seconds Emily had dived forward and ran at Naomi burying her shoulder in her midsection as she yanked Naomi's front leg from under her effectively toppling Naomi who landed with a thud on her back, Emily falling on her, her shoulder and the fall knocking the wind from her for a second. Emily took that moment to move between her legs and started to rain blows towards Naomi's face which was thankfully blocked by her forearms held up defensively.

Naomi held her arms steady taking each and every blow given and took the opportunity to wrap her legs tightly around Emily's waist, crossing and locking her ankles behind Emily's back before squeezing tightly using each and every ounce of leg strength she possessed. Naomi pressed her shoulders hard into the mat below her as she thrust her hips upwards, arching her back, using her body's length to her advantage as she pushed Emily further away from her face and it gave her the brief relief she needed to get in her own couple of blows to Emily though not at all hard enough to cause any damage, but just enough to allow her a moment of smugness.

She shifted her hips to the left and then right trying to take Emily's balance away and flip them over so Emily was pinned beneath her still locked tightly in the grip around her waist but it seemed Emily had cotton onto her plan and instead of attacking her head she took the moment to land a hard blow into Naomi's abdomen causing her to crash back down to the mat underneath her.

Emily let out a low throaty laugh which just caused Naomi to scowl as she felt the vibrations in her own body. She tightened her hold again and grabbed one of Emily's wrists tightly before she planted her shoulders and thrust her hips into the air again taking away the advantage once again this time chuckling herself as Emily squeaked in surprise.

Emily tussled with her trying to wrench her wrist free, using her other hand to bat at Naomi almost helplessly as she tried to wriggle free.

"Give up yet?" she asked.

"Never!" came the muffled reply, Naomi laughed at the floundering Fitch above her locking her body tightly each and every muscle working to combat Emily's struggles.

"You sure" she asked again as she tugged that little bit harder on Emily's wrist and thrust her hips again in unison.

"For fuck sake!" Naomi's head whipped to the side as she tried to locate the owner of the voice smirking as she saw it was Katie, gave her a smug smile as she took note of the rather disgusted expression on her face.

"Katiekins" she singsonged "To what do I owe the pleasure" she thrust her hips again and tightened her grip smirking proudly as she felt Emily squeak and wriggle whilst Katie's face turned sour.

"If you're quite finished molesting my sister perhaps you can go get ready" Katie spat.

"Hmm not until your sister gives in I'm afraid" Naomi replied absently.

Katie huffed rather loudly, it could be heard quite distinctly over Emily's ragged breaths as she struggled to free herself.

"Katie have you found them?" Naomi heard in the distance before she saw Effy appear over Katie's shoulder.

"Jesus can't you keep it in your pants for five minutes Naomi?" Effy asked chuckling as she took in the scene before her "I mean I know Emily's gay but that's no reason to take advantage of her so shamelessly" she drawled her eyes twinkling with amusement.

It was all it took, that one moment when her grip faltered under Effy's declaration and Emily wrenched her wrist free her elbow connecting hard with the side of Naomi's cheek as she did so.

She grunted in pain the side of her face on fire, her grip on Emily's waist leaving at the same time as she cupped her palm to her face feeling the warm liquid instantly beneath her fingers.

Emily it seemed was oblivious to what had happened as she rolled away from Naomi and jumped in the air raising her arms in celebration at Katie and Effy her back to Naomi.

It wasn't until she turned back to Naomi her expression smug which faded instantly as she took sight of the woman on the floor sat up with her head bowed studying the blood on her hand as her other was touching her cheek.

"Fuck!" Emily proclaimed as she dropped to the floor in front of Naomi and moved her hand asside.

"Fuck...shit...God I'm so sorry" she rambled as she looked at the now flowing cut on Naomi's cheek. Effy was at her side in an instant dropping a towel which Emily took and pressed to Naomi's cheek a couple of times mopping the blood before she watched it begin to pool again.

Naomi's hand whipped out and covered Emily's own for a moment before taking the towel and holding it tightly against her face as she let Emily help her to her feet.

"I think that might need stitches" Emily stated her face guilty as their harmless sparring had turned into a first blood match.

"You Fitches pack quite the punch huh" she laughed grimacing as the stretching of her face pulled on the cut "Katie with her gob and you with your elbows."

Emily smiled in return, thankful for the jokey nature knowing that Naomi wasn't pissed with her "come on, let's go get you fixed up, I believe we have something to collect."

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**I hadn't intended on pushing the sale into the next chapter but this little fight just kind of battled its way into my head and begged to be included *shrugs* so you know. Next chapter instead I guess!**

**Oh and Happy New Year :)**


	6. The Exchange

**So my apologies for taking so long to update, I wish I could promise to do better next time but I fear it may be an empty promise. Also, I'm glad you guys liked the idea of Anthea the spy, shes pretty cool no? Anyway on with the show...**

**I don't own skins, but I do own an inbox full of story alerts from a lot of both lovely and awesome writers, so if I normally review your story and you haven't had one, I've not forgotten you – I'm just running a bit behind schedule...**

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Naomi sat in the front of the van whilst Effy drove, well if you could call it that. You know when you see those signs on the motorway that say '14 minutes to...' somewhere or other, most people's first thought is to compare how long the sign posted time is against the distance you can travel at the normal speed limit - gauge the traffic you know? However where Effy's concerned it seems that she sees it as a personal challenge, as if to say here's your target let's see how much you can beat it by. Speed limits are just another rule that's been made to be broken where Effy's concerned.

Emily, Katie and Angelo were all bundled in the back of the van and weren't privy to Effy's tendency to swerve in and out of traffic rather recklessly, Naomi was quite used to it now, kind of enjoyed the adrenaline rush, as well the time to prepare for whatever it was they were walking into.

Except this particular case held little to prepare for, more or less knew what she was heading into. She idly brought a hand to her face prodding it slightly feeling it tender to her touch and sighed as she rested her head back on the headrest, she heard Effy next to her snigger as she swerved out the path of a HGV, decided to ignore it, instead looked out the window to her left and watched the lights pass her by in a blur as she momentarily let her mind wander to recent events.

Emily had insisted on cleaning up the mess she had apparently made which Naomi found a little embarrassing, it wasn't often that other people tended to something as minor as a split on her cheek even if it was throbbing like a bitch at that very moment. Truth be told Naomi didn't really let anyone patch her up she'd just leave it be unless it was major of course. She didn't seem able to get the words out to tell Emily so, had instead spent the time watching Emily's face intently as she cleaned it and applied the stitch plaster, her pink tongue held lightly between her lips as she concentrated.

She shook the thoughts from her head and brought herself back to the here and now as they drew closer to their destination, absently slipped her hand to her forearm to distract herself and stop her mind wandering again. She felt the hard form of her trusty blade there even though she'd told everyone it was tranq guns only, had of course disobeyed her own rule and brought her knife, certain that Anthea would have done the same too. Naomi then slipped her hand to her thigh, pulled from the holster her gun and checked it over flicking the safety on and off a couple of times before settling it back, found it slightly amusing that the tranquiliser guns had safety's on them at all.

The whole process was a habit she had gained a long time ago, checking her weapons even though this time there would be no need for them, or at least that was the plan anyway.

But then how often was she lucky enough for things to go to plan.

She turned her gaze back out the window and watched as the scenery before her changed into that of an empty car park where a derelict building stood, run down, five stories high boarded up on the lower stories and the occasional windows that weren't bored on the upper floors, the area was deserted in one of the rougher parts of the city, not particularly pleasant but she'd met people in far worse locations, secretly thankful that Anthea had some level of decorum unlike some of her meets.

Effy had barely shut the engine off before Naomi was out of the car her eyes sweeping left and right checking for any sign of trouble before turning to look at the rest of the team who were all completing similar actions. Her eyes fell on Emily who sent her a smug smile still overly chuffed with her escape or perhaps her nursing skills before mentally slapping herself and moving across to Effy's stony expression, one of concentration, cold and calculating. Naomi wondered for a moment if she knew just how much like Anthea she could be sometimes before her mind briefly drifted to how Effy would react if she knew that Anthea would be in that building with them today.

She dismissed the thought if it all went to plan Effy would never know that Anthea was here and that was the way she intended on keeping it. She took a breath, steadied herself before pressing a hand to her coms link.

"Watchtower request confirmation area is secure."

She swung over her head the bag containing their part of the exchange settling it comfortably across her chest from left shoulder to right hip as she waited for Watchtower to reply, only moving forwards when she received the all clear.

Entering the building she noted the lock had already been shattered, Cooks doing no doubt considering that he never had quite mastered the art of lock picking and instead just decided to smash or shoot the shit out of them until they surrendered to his superior fire power, she allowed herself a small smile at her friends bluntness safe in the knowledge that the team behind her wouldn't spot her expression.

To keep up the façade that this was a real job and just out of comfort and habit she pulled her gun from the holster on her thigh and clicked the safety off holding it loosely in her hand her index finger resting along the side of the gun rather than near the trigger as she normally would whilst she moved swiftly to the stairwell of the building travelling up two flights of stairs and along an empty but dingy looking corridor.

As predicted five individuals stood in the room all dressed in smart black suits, white shirts, white gloves and an array of colourful ties, three women and two men if her breast calculation was anything to go by, that and the tailored suits.

Their heads were covered, faces and hair all concealed and hidden beneath the balaclava they wore their eyes the only feature visible but not something to highlight their identity as it seemed they were all wearing coloured contacts and instead of an array of brown, green or blue eyes there were instead a sea of pure black eyes before her. Internally Naomi smirked, Anthea always was one for theatrics and the eyes screamed 'demon' but she never imagined she would come up with something that looked quite so creepy. It was logical though, with Effy there her eyes very well may have given her away plus they served their purpose and provided a flawless disguise to everyone, everyone except Naomi.

She of course could pick each individual out partly by process of elimination and partly by certain characteristics she was more than aware of. Pandora was arguably the easiest to spot, her bright yellow tie a giveaway alone but the darts in her hand the final clue along with the childish bouncing from side to side she seemed unable to control.

Cook was equally easy to spot because his body was familiar to Naomi, his tie red and for once done up fully, each and every button on his shirt also. If it weren't for the balaclava, contacts and white gloves Naomi may have teased him for looking smart. Freddie was next his tie green, messy and his posture lazy as he slouched leaning casually against the wall twirling his gun in his hand.

Anthea was of course head of the pack, stood with her arms hanging lazily at her sides as her body screamed predator, her tie of course black just like the darkest point of her moral compass.

Finally that left one more female off to the back of the room by the exit who sported a purple tie her posture similar to that of Anthea's but holding none of the fierceness her old mentor conveyed, it whimpered more like a kitten than vicious savage lioness when stood in such close proximity to Anthea.

Anthea spoke first, her distorted voice echoing in the empty room. "Do you have the cash?"

Naomi had no wish to drag this out any longer than necessary so got straight to the point "If you have the package." Her reply was curt almost scathing but her intensions clear.

Naomi swung the bag so it rested in front of her and slipped her hand in pulling out a handful of the bonds showing them to the masked figure across from her before hastily shoving them back, she then waited for Anthea to produce her goods. It took only a moment for Anthea to snap her fingers and a netbook was planted in her outstretched palm by 'purple tie' before Anthea reached around her neck and pulled out a lanyard with a small black device swinging back and forth at the end. Roughly she tugged, breaking the clasp at the back rather dramatically before she jammed the device in and held it up for Naomi to see, she glanced at it briefly more for completeness than anything else.

Naomi was about to step forward to make the exchange when she heard the familiar husky voice behind her "Movement in far left hand corner of the car park."

Her eyes snapped to Anthea who she presumed was also staring intently at her. She took the opportunity to ask the question, making it sound threatening but in-fact nothing more than seeking confirmation "One of yours?" she barked ensuring that her voice was cold - an accusation rather than a question to any outside observer.

Anthea laughed lightly before shooting back a sarcastic remark evident even though the distortion in her voice "Like we would need any help to take you down, one slap to that face of yours and I bet you would be crying like a baby at my feet." Naomi rolled her eyes, made a mental note to exact a little bit of revenge on Anthea if the opportunity presented itself.

Naomi hadn't really needed the confirmation and neither had Anthea, they knew they wouldn't have double crossed one another given what and who were at stake but it was a logical question to ask to assess if there was danger, plus it helped keep up the facade considering the fact that this meet wasn't meant to be quite as arranged as it was.

Though this begged the question that if the group congregating below hadn't been arranged by Naomi or by Anthea then who was behind it? Her first thought was that perhaps Emily had been mistaken, that the movement was none other than a group of teenagers smoking spliff or drinking cider in a darkened corner of an abandoned car park, actions that wouldn't be unfamiliar in this part of town. But at the same time she knew Emily wasn't an idiot and would have considered that, none the less she moved to the window scanning her eyes across the area Emily had been looking and she could just about make out bodies. They were tiny and hard to distinguish clearly from this distance equally made difficult by the little light provided by the night sky, but they definitely didn't look like they were rebellious teenagers smoking or drinking.

"Watchtower, we have movement in grounds, west car park, request confirmation there are no other teams in the vicinity."

She waited only seconds before she heard the reply "No team of ours Rogue, presume hostile."

"Copy that" she replied whilst silently cursing in her head, of course it would be too easy for this to have gone smoothly, life clearly just wasn't that fair.

Before she had a chance to comment again she heard another voice echoing though her ear piece "Rogue this is Alpha leader" Naomi was slightly shocked not that she let the expression show, Ames didn't really get involved much in operations he was clearly vested in ensuring that this one pulled off without a hitch, something she now thought they might not be able to achieve. "Make the trade and get out of there, I swear to god if you cock this up you'll regret it."

_Wanker_ she thought as she felt the anger flowing through her veins before replying with a curt "Copy" to acknowledge knowing he'd just keep rambling on if she didn't respond. She wasn't surprised for it to happen but at the same time she was royally fucked off with Ames apparent and blatant concern for only that of the information and none what so ever for those individuals collecting it.

Did he really think that his idle threats scared her? Like hell they did but she needed this job not for the money but for the other benefits it brought so she couldn't cock it up, plus she couldn't wait for the backlash he'd get from the board when this all backfired on his arse.

She didn't need to warn her team to draw their weapons, didn't need to tell them to take up defensive positions and 'baton down the hatches' so to speak. Same as Anthea didn't need to tell her team either even though they hadn't heard what Watchtower said, the tension in the room was evidence enough.

Almost all attention was directed away from the threat in the room and instead focused on the rising threat outside. Of course that didn't mean for a minute that Naomi or Anthea would break character. She marched back over to Anthea swinging the messenger bag fully from her shoulder as she held it out to Anthea to complete the exchange, simultaneously snatching the device from Anthea's outstretched hand.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Anthea stated mirroring her words from the day before although much more formally as she slipped the bag over her own shoulder and settled it comfortably before slipping the netbook inside the bag also.

"Lets go" Anthea barked the order at her team and the majority of them didn't hesitate for a minute to not obey her, all except Cook who floundered ever so slightly before finally relenting under the second order from Anthea. Naomi was glad, the last thing she wanted was for any of her friends and allies to get caught up in the chaos that appeared certain to unfold as she heard Watchtower in her ear note that the team on the ground had moved into a tactical formation and were moving towards the building's entrance.

She surveyed her options, as much as she had wanted Anthea and the others to stand and fight side by side it would have appeared too obscure and Anthea had known that. Why stay and fight with someone that you didn't know, someone that was just buying something from you when you could escape and evade? No her choice was right to leave despite what it might mean for Naomi and the others that in truth Anthea would protect with her life, well Effy anyway.

Now Naomi had a decision to make for her team, did she follow in Anthea's footsteps and leave or did they stay and risk being able to pick them off one by one or worst case scenario fight their way out?

Watch tower advised that there were 12 heat signatures on the ground, maybe almost a fair fight, easy even if the others were still here but against five of them? It was a no contest really and took only a moments consideration.

They had no real weapons except for the steel blade that rested against her arm as far as she was aware, a handful of tranquiliser guns between them that although effective were no match against real skin penetrating bullets. The only major problem was that the way Anthea had moved was to the back exit of the building, the lack of noise was confirmation enough that the route was clear and their transport at the back as it hadn't been at the front. But for Naomi's team it presented the problem that they would have no transport, because their van was at the front where all the annoying little hostiles were. Definitely a problem.

Naomi knew the longer they stood around considering their transport issue the more likely they were to engage and so instead she barked her own quick order and pulled her gun out as she strode for the door and started following the same path she assumed Anthea and the others had.

She checked behind her saw Effy and Emily and Katie following closely with Angelo following up the rear checking back over his shoulder every now and again sometimes even walking backwards and then breaking into a short run to catch up.

As they reached the stairs Naomi increased her pace, dropping down two steps at a time in the hope that they had the upper hand, that whoever it was heading into the building didn't know they were on the move out the back exit that was still clear.

All the while Watchtower, their eyes in the infra-red sky was keeping them updated with the movements of the others, giving her the reassurance that they were currently in the clear moving as one swift unit towards the exit.

They made it to the ground floor, unscathed and undetected which was a double bonus as far as she was concerned. Clearly they were following the same path that Anthea had taken because in front of them they could see the back door already open swinging lightly in the breeze.

Naomi called in a check with Watchtower to make sure that the rear of the building was still clear or else they'd be walking out like sitting ducks, like one of those fairground games where you shoot the moving ducks to win a teddy only she wouldn't be the person holding the gun but rather the duck visible when you stared down the sight. It was an unnecessary risk especially when you were able to check with someone with a far better vantage point.

On receiving the all clear they moved in unison to the exit, again Angelo following up the rear as he kept checking behind himself every so often almost paranoid despite the reassurance from Watchtower.

Naomi was the first out, crouched low as she jogged to cover before one by one the rest of the team followed her signal to move. She scanned the area looking for some way out of the transport situation - or lack of it – they were faced with now they had made it out of the building.

The way she saw it they realistically only had a couple of choices. They could make a run for it on foot but that was foolish they would be exposed, out in the open, easy pickings. Alternatively they could steal one of the parked cars visible from their hiding place or they could double back around the outside of the building to the van they had come in and take their getaway vehicle back.

Effy had been watching Naomi quite intently whilst her brain ran through their options quickly analysing each one weighing up the risk the difficulty and ultimately the reward, she had felt those all seeing Stonem eyes boring into her skin for some time now and as much as she wanted to ignore it she couldn't any longer. "What?" she snapped coldly, it seemed now they were in full mission mode that bitch Campbell had taken up residence under that blue gaze.

"I can get it" Effy replied cryptically, well cryptic to everyone else that wasn't taking a wander around her brain it seemed.

Naomi shook her head "No. Too risky." Short sharp and to the point.

Effy didn't even take a moment to consider before she replied again, it was as though her mind had already calculated the answer Naomi would give and was ready prepared with her next challenge. "Then we go together."

Katie interrupted Naomi's thoughts, she had uncharacteristically been silent for the whole ordeal until this moment "Errr could someone tell me what the fucks going on?"

Naomi took the opportunity to roll her eyes at Katie, mainly just because she could and knew it would probably annoy her just a little before she explained. "Oracle here wants to go get our ride back."

"Damn right we do" Katie perked up in support, Naomi was a little shocked that Katie was encouraging Effy's idea. "There's no fucking way I'm going to hoof it plus I left my fucking Jimmy Choos in the back!" Katie finished. Well at least that made more sense an entirely selfish reasoning behind her support. Emily was clearly not shocked by her sister's outbreak but Naomi couldn't quite fathom the reasoning of risking life and limb over shoes, even if they were Jimmy Choos.

Effy's smug expression met her own she already knew what she was going to do. Naomi may be the leader but majority always rules and they were all up shit creek if they didn't find a way out of this and quick and Effy knew it "I say we call a vote, two votes to one right now. Echo?"

Emily's forehead was creased in thought surveying the options as she looked at the distance of the parked cars and the shadows that covered the way finally replying after only a few moments "Against, I'm with Rogue it's too dangerous, those cars over there are more likely to be less risk."

Naomi didn't particularly like the idea of taking them either as it still exposed them, but after all they did have to do something and it certainly appeared to be the lesser of two evils as opposed to walking into the lion's den.

Effy shrugged not that bothered by the loss of another vote "That leaves the deciding vote with you…" All eyes turned to Angelo except for Naomi's whose gaze was on Effy's and in that moment she knew she'd lost, Effy was rarely wrong, practically never wrong in fact, and the expression on her face was that of the victor.

_Fuck sake_.

It took only a moment to confirm it and that blue gaze was back on Naomi smugger than ever. "Fine" she huffed "We go together, you three" she pointed to Katie, Emily and Angelo "are to get to those parked cars just in case, I assume at least one of you knows how to hotwire a car?"

Emily nodded Katie rolled her eyes and Angelo well he didn't do a great deal of anything, but they only needed one person that could do it and it seemed that one would be Emily. "Good we're agreed, if we aren't with you in 10 minutes I want you to go without us, that's an order."

Three nodding heads met her, one albeit begrudgingly. She pulled the package from her combats and passed it to Emily "I trust you'll keep this safe" she nodded again which Naomi returned before she pulled her gun from her holster where she had stowed it whilst they decided their course of action all the while keeping tabs on the movement in the building. It seemed whoever it was didn't know what floor they were on because they were still in the building presumably clearing floor by floor which worked in their favour.

Naomi flicked the safety off and received a nod from Effy to say she was read gun poised in her hand as well. "Move out" Naomi ordered and as a group they slunk their way around the outskirts of the building only breaking into their two agreed groups when they reached the far corner where Effy and Naomi continued around the building back to the front and Katie Emily and Angelo headed away to the parked cars following the line of shadow.

On rounding the corner Naomi and Effy ran as quietly and quickly as possible up to the next corner still crouched before they pressed their backs to the wall on reaching their destination. Naomi snuck her head around the corner and could see the van, there were only four hostiles guarding the front of the building which was better than she had been anticipating as more teams must have moved inside since they last heard from Watchtower.

She took the opportunity to signal to Effy and between them they worked out a brief plan of action, Effy following Naomi's orders without question.

Naomi moved out, away from the van to a separate area of cover where she was able to get a better view of the hostiles, Effy all the while prepared to give cover fire if necessary, if you could call it cover fire with a practically silent tranq gun. Once there Naomi signalled a 5 count and on reaching zero simultaneously Naomi and Effy each took a guard out with their tranq guns.

Effy whipped out of sight around the corner as she didn't have a sight on the second guy and although the guns were practically silent the heavy thud of the unconscious body falling down the steps wasn't.

Naomi however took her second shot straight after her first and took her second guy out his body finally collapsing to the ground like his comrades as she pulled the dart from his right shoulder just before he fell. "Hostiles one and two down" she voiced into her coms link and heard the confirmation that hostile three was down back from Effy which left just one remaining.

She then took the opportunity to move to the back of the van her back pressed against the doors as she snuck her gaze to the left and the right before moving slowly and quietly down the vehicles side on seeing it was clear, her gun raised in front of her, her finger poised on the trigger.

She reached the front of the vehicle, looked around the front bumper for the final target only to find the area in front of her clear, the target was out of sight, Effy it seemed had no sight on him, and she certainly didn't.

She heard the sound of a foot fall on a shard of glass behind her and knew she was in trouble, didnt even have time to react as instantly she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her, one across her neck as the other was around half of her upper body virtually immobilising her right arm and with it her gun and ability to reach her coms link. Not that she could talk anyway with his arm wrapped so tightly around her throat choking the life out of her.

She thrust her free elbow backwards and felt it connect solidly with something presumably his torso but it did nothing to reduce the python like grip around her neck, she tried everything she could, relying on instinct and gut reaction rather than her usual strategic planning, had even jammed the heel of her boot back into his kneecap and heard a grunt of pain but his grip was strong and her oxygen levels were fading past as her vision started to dim.

She felt herself begin to falter, her legs getting heavy, her ability to fight back and break free diminish as she failed to draw in breath. One last ditch attempt she swung her head backwards into his face, had only managed a minor movement but she caught his nose full on and the sickening crack along with the throbbing in her head from the blow and the lack of oxygen told her it had connected. His grip loosened slightly, it wasn't much but definitely enough to allow her a better range of movement and with another well aimed elbow this time higher and in his face she broke free from his grasp and drew in lungful after lungful of much needed oxygen.

She was sluggish her limbs still heavy but wasted no time in taking up a defensive stance, preparing herself for the attack she knew was coming but didn't dare initiate it, hoping to buy more time to get her breath back.

Dimly in the background she could hear combat, more hostiles that Effy must be dealing with picking them off as they exited the building, she didn't worry Effy could hold her own and all the time there was the noise of combat she had nothing to be concerned about, it was when the silence settled that she should start to panic.

She blanked out the noise mostly, still paying attention but also allowing herself to focus on her own opponent who was bigger and stronger than her, although possibly not as agile he certainly seemed to have the upper hand. She pulled the knife from her forearm, held it tight in her grasp as she saw him wipe the blood from his nose his face full of anger.

"You'll pay for that bitch" he spat at her before he advanced on her lashing out with fists, uppercuts, jabs and elbows that failed to connect, she ducked and weaved around them, managed to get a couple of kicks of her own in as his lower body remained fairly static a pretty poor fighting technique against a smaller more agile opponent. One rather dangerous yet aggressive move left him exposed and she took advantage and made good use of the blade in her hand as she sunk it into his thigh twisting it hearing a satisfactory howl of pain from him. Her small victory was short lived though as he pulled his elbow back as he twisted his body and white hot fire broke out across her face, the very same side that Emily had patched up. She was dazed her head swimming as she fell to all fours each beat of her pulse throbbing heavily in her face.

Emily's blow earlier had felt like being slapped with a stick in comparison. She stood, staggering slightly as her head still swam her vision blurred at the edges but still clear enough to see the thug before her stood with a pistol aimed directly at her chest his finger on the trigger wanting to taunt her just long enough to see that look of pure fear in her eyes before he pulled it. She gave him no such privilege instead hardened her eyes stared straight at him causing him to sneer in anger at her refusal to back down even when the odds were clearly stacked against her.

"Said I'd make you pay you bitc..." Naomi heard it more than saw it, the unmistakeable thud of a sniper round burying itself deep into flesh, his arm wavered dropped the pistol which clattered loudly on the ground before his body followed the same path as the pistol.

Naomi saw lifeless eyes staring back at her as a pool of blood began to form. She looked around for the shooter, none of her team were carrying live rounds so it couldn't have been them. It took only a few sweeps of the area before she saw her on the roof of the building opposite, none other than Anthea Stonem, her rifle resting leisurely against her shoulder as she sent a salute to Naomi.

Naomi didn't have a chance to send her gratitude as she heard Effy's voice shouting her codename, heard the rumble of an engine next to her. In all the weaving with the last hostile that met an unhappy end from Anthea she had ended up moving closer to the road and away from the vehicle, she hadn't noticed Effy pick off the other targets and get the van started.

Naomi wondered absently if Effy had seen Anthea finish off her opponent or if Anthea had been helping pick off the others as they left the building, a conversation for Anthea later it seemed, they had a conundrum on their hands as to who exactly was behind it. But that was a question for later right now she just wanted to get the fuck out of here.

She bent down and pulled the blade from his thigh, wiping it on his clothes to clean the deep red liquid from the blade before she wrenched open the back door and dived in banging her fist on the divider between the drivers compartment and the rear.

She kept the door open as the van hurtled to collect the others that were congregated around a car breaking in it appeared, sticking to the orders they had received to keep moving if they hadn't heard from the Naomi or Effy within ten minutes.

The door was slammed heavily once the last person was in and the squeal of the tyres and lurch of the van signalled their final getaway. Naomi caught Emily's eyes flash with concern before Katie's voice cut across the scream of the engine. "You look like shit Naomi, I mean like way worse than normal."

Naomi was surprised to hear no sarcasm laced within those words, she imagined she did look like shit, her head was banging her face felt like it wasn't her own, like it belonged to someone else, each swallowing action painful and almost foreign, a warm liquid felt present on her cheek again, Emilys earlier nursing skills an apparent waste of time as the cut flowed freely again. Yes she imagined she did look like shit, she after all felt like it but she wasn't one for sympathy so instead decided to make light of the situation, joke a little.

"Should have seen the other guy." She was right, you should have, at least her eyes didn't shine lifelessly as his did now.


	7. Lost in Battle

**So massive thanks to all those who reviewed alerted etc, you guys are all lovely and certainly know how to make a girl smile. Not so much action in this one, well sort of. **

**For those of you craving Anthea, she's here in spirit but she'll be back so stick with me.**

**I don't own skins, if I did I'd have the gang rob a bank and fund "The Fitch's" spin off as well as a Naomily movie**

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Naomi needed a drink, a stiff drink and a soak to help alleviate the soreness in her body. When they got back to base ops she wasted no time in leaving the others to debrief Ames not giving a shit that as team leader it was technically her job. Why the fuck should she care? Ames didn't give a shit about them so why should she care about a pissing debriefing. Plus it's not like she was on their payroll, freelance contractor basically means 'fuck you' to all that paperwork shit as far as she was concerned. It was one of the reasons she had insisted on staying freelance, that and it gave her the opportunity to do other things, follow other paths, paths of her own choosing not those dictated to her. Freedom, that's what it gave her.

A soak in an overly large bath filled with deliciously hot water would have to wait despite her yearning for it, the agency held no such luxury the best she could do here was a hot shower but it would do, it would wash the blood and grime from her body may even help with the headache that felt as though it could split her skull in two.

It was times like these that she was grateful for the fact that her locker was in the changing rooms filled with her clothes from earlier, it meant that she could just hide out in here until she felt something that resembled human again, avoid Ames and his cocking debriefing, avoid everyone. Well everyone that wasn't looking to get changed in the women's changing rooms that is.

Stood in front of the mirror she checked her face, now understood why Katie was actually sympathetic. It looked pretty much as bad as it felt and that was fucking painful even by her standards. Turning the shower on making sure the temperature was just perfect she moved to peel her clothes from her body wincing ever so slightly as the material of her top aggravated her tender neck, then made a mental note not to wince because that just pulled at the tightness in her face. _Lose fucking lose_ she thought_._

Stepping under the stream of water she lost herself in the moment, bracing her palm against the wall of the shower as she let the water cascade over the back of her head washing away everything that happened and thankfully taking some of her discomfort with it too.

It was never meant to go like this, what should have been the easiest job of the year, had been one that had left her felling pretty shit and had taken at least one life that she was aware of. The thing that worried her most though, was who the fuck they were, and how they had managed to find them. She could already think of a handful of people, Elstair or a group that employed them was at the top, followed by a variety of groups that would want to steal the onyx software to sell themselves.

Each was plausible and without any real information she could keep guessing and speculating until the cows come home. The only thing she did know was that they weren't some half arsed gang looking to cash in, they moved like a unit that had been trained. But the one she had fought hadn't really fought like someone trained, all brawn no brains in her opinion. He seemed to rely on brute strength to win his battles which wasn't particularly smart, and equally to not cover all exits was pretty piss poor, her team literally just walked out the back door and out flanked them.

It was absurd, like they were a jumbled up mix, half trained soldiers moving in tactical formation, half morons that didn't really know what they were doing but had been let loose with live rounds. None of which helped her ragged brain piece together the puzzle to work out who was behind it or clarify if she or any of the others were still in danger.

One thing she was sure of was that if her team had live weapons they could have taken each and every hostile out maybe even got some answers, but they weren't prepared for it and that was her own doing. Her insistence at tranq guns had nearly been their downfall, could have made her responsible for losing the whole team as well as blowing the mission.

It would be too good to be true for it to be left unmentioned by Ames. Although he had agreed greedily to the terms of Anthea's meet, Naomi was about ready to bet her right arm that Ames would blame her for not double crossing the client, for nearly costing him 'Alpha Team' as he liked to call them. Like he was Charlie and they were his fucking Angels.

Of course that fuelled some of the reasoning behind hiding but quite frankly she just didn't give a shit. They were all okay, her team and Anthea's team and that was all she cared about at the end of the day. Ames could go fuck himself on his paperwork, even roll his paperwork up and fuck himself with it if that's what he fancied, she didn't give two shits, she done her job got the software and specs, that's all she was paid to do.

The only downside being that her decision, whether persuaded by Effy and the others or not had ended up risking everyone, people she cared about, well some of them she cared about and the others she might not have cared that much for, but that didn't mean she wanted their deaths resting heavily on her shoulders.

She ran a hand through her hair and pushed the thought from her mind, refused to let herself dwell on what could have been. She could have been dead more times than she could count by now, that wasn't the way her life worked, probably wasn't how any of their lives worked. They all knew what they signed up for, she knew, and so she did what she did every time such thoughts occurred, dismissed them and instead carried on with her life one day at a time, day by day.

Looking up she let the water wash over her face, ignored the sting as it beat down on her cheek and instead grabbed her shampoo and lathered her hair, did what she came here to do, to make herself feel alive again before she could make herself feel like death at the bottom of a bottle.

Naomi made relatively quick work of the necessities and decided to just let herself stand under the water as she decided her next course of action. There wasn't a great deal of thought put into it if she were honest, subconsciously she already knew exactly what she was going to do - head straight for the exit, not even bothering to retrieve her car from the underground car park, instead go straight to the closest bar and buying herself a very very large whisky.

It seemed that today she wasn't going to have one iota of luck on her side though, as sitting there when she walked out of the shower was none other than Effy Stonem, changed out of her combat gear, looking fabulous with no effort as always just lazily lounging on the bench waiting for her to emerge.

Her steely blue eyes bored into Naomi's reading her to her very core. "Nice Shower?" Effy asked absently as her eyes quite obviously raked over Naomi's towel clad form.

"Beats being strangled to death" was the flippant reply that Naomi threw at her. She didn't meant to throw it out there quite so harshly but at the same time she didn't want to talk, didn't want to banter, not today, today she just wanted to get gone and get drunk. She'd done enough thinking on the drive back and in the shower.

"I imagine it does" Effy replied casually as she continued to survey the blonde before her. She stood and sauntered up to Naomi, blue met blue as they stood level with one another. She placed a finger on Naomi's jaw, running it down the length before coming to stop at her chin. Effy noted the change in Naomi's skin on her throat, its usual alabaster tone replaced with a deeper red, was aware that the change wasn't due to the heat of the shower. She then lifted Naomi's chin ever so slightly up and to the side so she could survey the cut on her face, now no longer bleeding but swollen and raw still. Gone was the stitch plaster Emily had placed with such care. Lost in battle.

"Hmmmm" she hummed before turning and walking over to the first aid box Emily had left from earlier, rummaging and pulling out a handful of items before walking back to Naomi waving them as she sauntered towards her, her hips swaying with every step "May I?"

Did Naomi want her to? No, Not for a minute, she could do it herself, but she knew it was virtually a rhetorical question, this was Effy's way of saying sorry, 'sorry for insisting we get our wheels back and nearly getting you killed in the process' and she didn't want to tell her friend 'thanks but no thanks' so instead just stayed silent, gave no response, tried to convey in a look what she couldn't voice, but of course Effy being Effy would just ignore it, she just continued to walk towards her, stalked her and Naomi found herself taking a step backwards to Effy's every step forwards until she found the bench pressing against her calves and felt a cold hand on her chest guide her back to sit down.

She hummed again "interesting" she followed with cryptically. Naomi refused to ask what instead just raise one eyebrow at her in question, hated playing Effy's games because she almost always lost or was left confused. Effy truly was Anthea's daughter, they were both impossible, both always able to better the blonde, only occasionally could she get one over on them. _Bloody Stonem's._

Effy smirked before she crouched down in-front of the blonde and held her gaze, before she shook her head not saying a word, instead placed the items down and stood again which caused Naomi to frown a little, confused as to what was going on.

She didn't have to wait long to find out though, only a few seconds later the changing room door banged opened and in walked Emily and Katie talking intensely with one another. Their voices drifted over, easily able to tell each apart thanks to the huskiness in Emily's voice and the slight lisp to Katie's. Suddenly Naomi felt rather uncomfortable sat there in only a towel with Effy cryptically playing games with her and obviously intruding on a rather heated conversation between siblings.

Emily huffed angrily, apparently whatever they had been arguing about she had lost, or at least conceded defeat on knowing it was a losing battle she fought. Naomi watched her shake her head from side to side exasperated with her twin. "You amaze me Katie, you really do."

Katie just smiled back at her "Thanks babes, you're not so bad yourself."

If Naomi hadn't felt like she was intruding she would have burst out laughing at the look on Emily's face in that very moment. But she held her tongue, didn't want to draw attention to herself though it seemed Katie was well aware they were here as she turned to Effy.

"Ef babes, Ames wants you, think he wants to thank you too" She beamed at her "Come on I'll wait for you, we can go to the pub after, Emsy here can bring our _glorious leader_" she finished with a overly flourished bow in Naomi's direction.

_Glorious…What?_

She didn't get a chance to ask though, as in a blink of the eye Effy was gone sending her a wink over her shoulder that did nothing to quell the feeling in the pit of her stomach. She shifted her gaze from the door where Effy had just exited to the side to find those brown eyes looking back into her own. Emily gave her a half smile before walking to sit in front of Naomi, exactly where Effy had been only moments ago.

"Did I do that bad a job last time you were getting Effy to do it again?" Emily asked though with a cheeky smile on her face, complete contrast to the angered look that existed only moments ago with her twin.

Naomi's first reaction was to say "What?" and that's exactly what happened, except she had meant to keep in her head rather than voice it aloud. She recovered quickly, though her face may have been tinged slightly with blush thanks to her apparent lack of brain function.

"No, no course not, she was just doing it again, you know…it…came off." If Naomi could have slapped herself in that moment she very well may have, even to her ears it sounded lame and pathetic, but what else was she meant to say 'Oh yeah, I was just, you know being fucking killed and it kinda came lose, no biggie' she couldn't say that, didn't even want to talk about it, kinda felt a bit shit for that ape getting the better of her as it was and for having to be rescued by her old mentor, let alone recounting the whole story with Emily Fitch.

Emily gave her a full smile, thankfully didn't comment on how she had lost it "Good, you won't mind if I do it again then, will you."

Naomi just stared at her, what else was she to do? She hadn't been able to refuse her earlier, hadn't been able to outright refuse Effy and now here she was once again failing to refuse Emily a second time, this time dressed in only a towel.

As Emily raised a hand to Naomi's face she reached up and held it in her own. It was too much, all too much, she felt her heart hammer in her chest crashing against her ribcage. With everything that happened this was the final straw that would un-nerve her it seemed. She couldn't sit here like this and have Emily fuss over her, almost wished that she had just grabbed her things and left straight away, not bothering to even shower or wipe the blood from her face, just concentrated on getting the fuck out of there.

Emily's eyes stared into her own, a look of confusion written all over her face, a look of…hurt? Maybe. She couldn't quite tell. But she felt guilty for being responsible for that look whatever it was. Decided that she couldn't do that and pulled Emily's hand down so it rested in her lap, gave her hand a squeeze and a half smile as she tracked down her voice that had escaped her momentarily.

"Do you mind if I…er… you know, go get dressed?" She felt heat in her face, knew she was probably blushing again at having to ask for something quite so stupid, secretly hoped that the heat from the shower was still enough to cover it.

Emily however seemed to finally clue into the fact that Naomi was only covered by a white towel, a towel that didn't leave too much to the imagination, finishing high on her thigh and resting low on her chest. Emily full on smiled at her in return, her eyes sparkling mischievously, whatever hurt had been there vanished in an instant and all it left behind was a smirking Fitch.

"Sure no worries, I'll be back in five minutes, and that face is going to be treated whether you're ready or not Naomes" she added with a wink before leaving though the door she had entered through only minutes ago. Minutes that had felt like an eternity to the blonde, had unsettled her almost as much as the use of the nickname she had been graced with.

She stood from her seat pulled herself together and set to getting changed not doubting for a minute that Emily would be back in five minutes, all the while trying to stop her mind from running rampage. Naomi longed for the exit, would have given anything in that moment to be dressed and in the closest bar only 30 paces away from the building entrance, nursing glass of amber liquid, enjoying the burn as she drank.

Her jeans slipped up her legs easily, a little wiggle required only once as the material snagged on a still damp patch of skin she hadn't dealt with in her hurry to dress. Naomi was in the process of pulling a long sleeved tee over her head when she heard the door open again. Her heart rate increase, a natural reaction she found she had when she heard a noise but wasn't one hundred percent certain that it was who she was expecting making it.

She tugged on the fabric angrily trying to pull it on as quickly as possible and only dared turn around when she was fully clothed. Caught Emily leaning against the wall waiting for her to finish, her arms crossed across her chest, her head was resting on the wall, cocked to the side, eyes wandering up and down the woman before her.

Naomi watched as Emily straightened and walked towards her, not hesitating for a second as she pushed Naomi down onto the bench and kneeled before her, so close to her that Emily's slender waist was resting between her knees. She placed a hand firmly on Naomi's face angled her chin up and to the side so she could get a good look at her cheek.

_Sweet Jesus_ Naomi thought, if her heart had been hammering in her chest earlier, now it was practically breaking her ribs with every beat.

"Really did a number on you didn't he" Emily joked as she leaned in closer to survey her task, visibly running her eyes over Naomi's face and neck. The comment although playful did nothing to make Naomi smile, currently her mind was a mangled mess experiencing a mixture of emotions all at once, she was completely unsettled. Not herself at all. Not the collected cold hearted ice maiden she was so familiar with especially under the gaze of those brown eyes, the cheekiness of the husky tone that teased her. But at the same time there was a small part of her grimacing inside, wondering how Emily knew who it was that had fought with her. It calmed her mind, allowed her to gain back the clarity that she needed to function there and then.

Naomi didn't comment, couldn't, instead tried to deflect the conversation, and turned to her trusty cheek, wit and sarcasm. "They had some help, a feisty pocket sized brunette with elbows of death, you might know her, or her echo." She used it to hide her discomfort along with a cheeky smile which was then rewarded with a husky chuckle from Emily.

A chuckle that broke through that clarity in a second and once again she was lost, lost in a battle waging war inside her mind. She stared at the face before her as Emily cleaned the cut again and applied an antiseptic, all the while being as gentle as Naomi could hope for, not that pain bothered her but she didn't want to give Emily any more reason to fuss, so even when it was getting too much she would just grit her teeth and bare it, wouldn't show a moment of weakness. Minutes again felt like hours with those brown eyes before her, caring for her, unnerving her with that pink tongue held between lips that alone were distraction enough. On top of everything else, it was like torture, an evil kind of torture that secretly she wanted more of.

A subtle bleep echoed throughout the room which Naomi recognised immediately as her phone, on auto pilot she turned her head towards the sound forgetting that such an action was pretty stupid when Emily's hands were pressing on her face. She felt the friction of the move and closed her eyes in discomfort for just a moment whilst a twinge of pain washed over her. Heard a distant husky "Fuck" whispered echo in the room.

Naomi ignored it, had to ignore it and instead opened her eyes and reached for her phone, the task a simple yet welcome relief. She tapped in her passcode and then opened her inbox. It was from an unknown number and she had a feeling she knew who it was before she even read the text.

_We need to talk, noon tomorrow, Sesame Street. The real Alpha_

Anthea, just as she expected. Naomi smirked just a little, maybe Anthea and her team had heard what watchtower said, perhaps they had JJ hack the communications link because the wording in her message was a very specific comment to make. It would certainly explain how Anthea had known the teams were moving into the building when they were flocking out the back. She glanced across the message again chuckled a bit at the use of Sesame Street, loved the code that Anthea insisted on using in reference to Cook.

She felt warm hands on her again "Something funny?" Emily asked.

"Just an old friend I haven't heard from for a while" Naomi lied, of course she lied, its not like she could tell Emily the truth. Plus it wasn't a complete lie - a half lie only - Anthea was after all an old friend, just a friend that happened to be her rifle wielding saviour. Anyway in her line of work lies and deception had become almost second nature. Sometimes even she wondered what the truth was, the lies told so many times that even she began to believe they were real.

With one final moment of pressure followed by a gentle stroke of a thumb against her cheek Emily leaned back on her haunches and slapped her hands down on Naomi's thighs "All done!" She added happily.

Naomi tensed up a little at the pressure of Emily's hands on her thighs, sucked in a shaky breath before she sent Emily a grateful look and moved to stand up, keeping hold of Emily's hands that were previously on her knees as she did so.

They were stood close to one another, Naomi could still smell the scent of Emily's perfume drifting towards her. It was intoxicating, had been intoxicating for some time now. She cleared her throat, gave Emily's hands a squeeze before she dropped them and muttered her thanks almost sheepishly.

"No problem" Emily replied before she took a step back and went to clean up the mess she had made on the bench.

Naomi was grateful for the distance, turned and slipped her phone into her pocket before she shoved her stuff into her bag messily, balling up her combat gear and literally ramming it in any which way. She decided to just grab her wallet and keys as well as her blade that she stowed comfortably back on her forearm before shoving the rest of her stuff back in the locker. She would get it later and even if she didn't, there wasn't anything in there she couldn't replace.

Slipping on her boots and jacket she turned to Emily who was again leaning against the wall waiting,

"So about that drink?" she asked eagerly, because god knows she could definitely do with one right now.

**.**

**I almost feel mean for having Naomi getting battered every five minutes but my twisted mind secretly loves the idea of her getting in trouble, plus with nurse Emily on hand, well, I can't resist. **

**As always reviews are welcomed, criticism or not, I'm a big girl I can take it if you don't agree with something, so hit me with it. Or just let me know what you think.**


	8. Good Cop Bad Cop

**So I should add a little warning that this chapter contains somewhat dark themes. The warnings here people don't shoot me.**

**A couple of shout outs on this one, firstly to Moaning Myrtle123 who gave me the pleasure of reading Best Served Cold which I thoroughly enjoyed, if you haven't read it then what are you waiting for, go do that, right now. It's an order. Second is to BEB little something in here for you, very small I'm sure you'll spot it though. Finally to Hypes for more than a little inspiration, more like an assist, thanks :)**

**Oh and...She's baaacckkkk...**

**.**

**.**

Naomi found herself stood staring out the window hot drink clasped in one hand, cigarette held lightly in the other. Maybe going for that drink last night hadn't been such a great idea after all. Maybe setting up that sale hadn't been such a great idea either but it was too late now, both were done and she was suffering the consequences.

She felt like complete and utter shit both physically and mentally, worst of all she was meeting Anthea and Cook today which she normally wouldn't have a care in the world over, but today not so much, certainly would prefer it if she didn't look like the governments poster figure for abuse when she looked in the mirror, because that wouldn't go unmentioned.

Her mind drifted back to the evening before, listening to the banter passing easily between three women about a job they had coming up the next day, some new client that needed the best, so they were getting 'the angels' angels that infuriated Naomi but for all drastically different reasons.

First there was Effy, she always just knew, everything, quite literally, could read Naomi with ease unless she made a conscious effort to conceal something and even then it wasn't always successful. Then there were the twins, Katie well she was just infuriating because she was Katie. Very few conversations had been shared, most of which had been her bitching at Naomi for some reason or other most of which Naomi couldn't recall because she had learnt the art of tuning Katie's rants out very quickly.

Finally there was Emily, tiny pocket sized Emily Fitch that had burrowed her way under that icy exterior and completely unsettled the blonde for reasons she couldn't put her finger on. Emily Fitch who occupied her thoughts on more than one occasion, the gentle caring touches coupled with the elbows of death that left her feeling dazed and confused, again for entirely different reasons.

Naomi shook herself from her thoughts, glanced at her watch she noticed she had a while until she was meeting at Cooks and decided that she probably wanted to think about getting a wiggle on and sorting herself out rather than let her mind wander. She had no time to train this morning and the way she felt it would undoubtedly result in her throwing up or at best feeling like she was going to. Rubbing her eyes sleepily she took one final drag on her cigarette before stubbing it out in the ash tray and turning her back on the outside.

An age had been spent in front of the mirror trying to do her best to conceal the bruising marring her neck and face, to somewhat of an extent she had succeeded but there were some things that just couldn't be covered and her face still looked visibly painful despite her efforts but with one final look in the mirror and a defiant mental _fuck it_ she readied herself to face the world, or at least to face Anthea and Cook.

She skipped lightly down the steps brushing a stray strand of hair from her eyes before she jammed her headphones in and pulled her beanie down a little more over her ears as she zipped her jacket a little higher, it was a traditionally cold and foul looking British winters day but if she were honest it's just how she liked them, cold, fresh and dull enough to allow her tired hung over eyes to cope. Taking a deep breath she let the cold air fill her lungs and slowly let it out before tucking her hands in her pockets and walking in the direction of Cooks pressing play allowing the beat of the music to set her pace.

Another disadvantage of her little drunken fest meant she had no car which was still safely secured in the underground car park at Vendetta but the walk would do her good, would give her time to clear her thoughts and blow away the cobwebs from her foggy brain. If there was one thing you needed when meeting with Anthea it was a clear head. She didn't miss a trick and sitting with 'small brown haired girls unnerve me' written all over your face would do nothing but evoke a barrage of questions she had no intention of even considering herself. Ignorance was after all bliss.

Forty minutes later she found herself staring at Cooks front door as she puffed away furiously on her life line, she was early, had always planned to be early, first deal with Cook then in come the big guns. She held the cigarette loosely between her lips and rapped a couple of times on the door reaching up to draw on the cigarette one final time before flicking it carelessly towards the road.

"Blondie" Cook exclaimed excitedly before reaching his arms wide for a hug. Anyone that looked at Cook in that moment wouldn't think he was capable of half the things he had done. "Cook" she replied with a tender smile before she stepped into his arms letting him wrap her in said hug knowing it was useless to try to deny him, Cook was the closest thing she had to family anyway plus the occasional hug never hurt anyone. Not even the Ice queen.

"Missed you babes" he muttered in her ear.

"You only saw me yesterday." She replied dryly but he just held her tighter "Still missed you though."

Naomi laughed, felt it bubbling inside of her "Cook you fucking stoner, hope you saved some for me you tosser."

"Bet that cute little ass of yours I did" he chuckled before pulling away and producing a freshly rolled spliff pressing a kiss to her forehead and walking away down the hall to the kitchen.

Was it a smart idea getting stoned before meeting Anthea? Probably not, but what better way to hide your reaction than in spliff central, plus Anthea would more than likely join in and if there was one thing she had learned in all her time with Anthea was that her best plans were always created when she was stoned. The more outrageous, the more risky and ridiculous but ultimately the more successful.

She was sat in the kitchen, feet propped on a chair, her beanie now precariously close to falling off the back of her head as it had been dislodged somewhat with all the joking with Cook and full on laughs that had ensued following the serious conversation over who the mysterious gun toting wankers had been. Naomi had of course brought up and taunted him for his buttoned up shirt and red tie experience to which he had replied by ribbing her for her cheek and working with some 'hot as fuck' chicks and not getting him their numbers, Effy excluded of course or Anthea would have his balls.

"So twins ay" he gave her foot a nudge "One for each of us" another nudge.

Naomi laughed, couldn't help it, couldn't control it, found it far funnier than she should have. "Hate to burst your bubble hun but they're more likely to be shooting at you than shagging you." Cook gave her a wink "Or maybe just maybe I'll be shooting them." Before he broke out into full blown laughter at the disgusted look on her face.

"Enjoying yourself I see" Anthea's voice drifted across to them from the doorway, as usual had let herself in rather than knocking. Neither of them had heard a sound, Anthea was the true queen of stealth it seemed, or maybe they'd had a little bit too much fun.

"Anthea!" Cook bellowed before he jumped up from his seat and wrapped her in a huge hug. Naomi thought maybe Cook definitely might have had a bit too much fun but Anthea just rolled her eyes at the blonde which caused a minor giggling fit to ensue, it was something Naomi noticed Anthea had started to do more and more a habit she had picked up from Naomi herself.

Naomi watched as Cook released Anthea and took up residence back at the table where he began to roll her a gift but her words stopped him immediately. "Not today Cookie, at least not yet. I've got a job for you." Cook looked conflicted, Naomi presumed it was shock that Anthea had turned his offer down which was a rarity and eager to see what she had in store that was so urgent, she couldn't help but feel a little curious herself, not that she would voice it.

Years of practice with Anthea had taught her that being eager just fuelled her old mentors fire, allowed her to toy with you just that little bit easier. It gave her power, power and control and that was something Naomi fought hard to retain now she had stepped out of Anthea's shadow. Though she would be eternally grateful for Anthea, for what she had taught her, what she had done for her the truth of the matter was that she had something to do and to do it she needed to be in control herself. Yes their paths would cross, yes they would work together but they were no longer master and apprentice, that didn't mean the occasional opportunity wouldn't be cherished when it arose. It seemed today was giving her just that, opportunity, opportunity to see the true master at work.

Naomi watched as Anthea's body tensed and she swung a holdall in her hand back slightly, she saw it happening before the holdall left her hand, Anthea was going to throw the bag at her and the angle she was at it would hit her hard in the side. Her body took over on autopilot, bracing her foot on the table leg she leaned her chair back on two legs just in time as the bag left Anthea's hands sailing straight over her lap thudding loudly on the floor skidding a little as it landed. Anthea stared at her a grin on her face apparently proud of the fact that Naomi had been able to read her, that she hadn't let her guard down despite the fact she'd spent the last hour pissing about with Cook.

"Interesting, very interesting." She replied eerily like her own daughter. "Go get changed blondie, time to suit up oh and theres a little something extra in there for you." Anthea added with a wink. "You too Cookie, time to smarten up."

Naomi reached down and grabbed the bag unzipping it she pulled out an item which she shortly after realised was a tailored suit jacket strikingly similar to the ones Anthea and her team had been wearing the day before. She rummaged in the bag a little more for the rest of the outfit and finally saw the defining item that she had been looking for. A vibrant blue tie, silk, beautiful to the touch. Stunning. Anthea certainly had style of that there was no question.

She rummaged a little further and found her share of the sale, a bundle of cash along with a long rectangular black box. She raised her eyes from the bag to see that devilish smirk on Anthea's face.

Naomi cracked the seal on the box opening it cautiously and bit back a gasp as her eyes took in the blade nestled securely on a blue silk cloth. She studied the blade, pulled it from its resting place and turned it over reading the Latin engraved on it. On one side the blade read '_Nec Spe'_ and turning it over the other read_ 'Nec Metu'_ it was a motto Naomi had lived by a long time ago_ 'without hope, without fear' _something that she had considered getting tattooed on herself, but decided against it in the end. It was a double edged sword for her at the time. At a time when she had no hope, everything was lost to her and with a lack of hope, with nothing to live for she had no fear she was reckless, dangerous and quite frankly outright foolish.

Anthea later had helped her, taught her through somewhat questionable yet successful methods. Taught her that there was always hope but it didn't have to come with fear, fear was controllable sometimes nothing more than a four letter word and other times so much more, sometimes it could fuel you, drive you to do something you otherwise wouldn't have been able to achieve. Fear was essential and this blade, it was a reminder to her of it, of her past and of her future.

Naomi met Anthea's gaze, conveyed her gratitude with nothing more than a look, unspoken but Anthea knew. "You've got ten minutes and then I'm dragging you out of here, dressed or not." She informed them before picking up Naomi cigarettes and zippo and walking into the garden.

With a couple of minutes to spare Naomi found herself stood in the doorway to the garden breathing in the winter's air again watching Anthea smoke like a trooper at the bottom of the garden. She was about to walk over to Anthea but faltered as she heard Cook approaching, turned and saw him behind her fully suited and booted. She had to admit he certainly looked smart without the gloves, contacts and balaclava. He walked past her out into the garden clapped his hands together "So, what'll it be oh great one" mocking Anthea with a little bow. _Silly silly Cook._

Anthea just raised an eyebrow at him before pointing at him "Good cop" she instructed and instantly Cook groaned whilst she turned to Naomi "Bad cop."

"And dare I ask who exactly are we interrogating" Naomi asked.

"You can ask, but I don't think I'll answer" Anthea replied mysteriously "Trust me when I tell you that you'll want these answers though."

.

.

They arrived at a lock up, basically a glorified garage that Anthea hired for such an occasion. Before entering they had taken the time to each complete their outfits donning the contacts, balaclava and gloves but not bothering to hide their voices, who ever this was Anthea certainly didn't think they could be recognised by their voices. Anthea lead the way forward it was fascinating watching her, just the way she walked was threatening alone.

Naomi looked around at her surroundings once inside it was dim, a single lamp blaring on a figure tied to a chair in the centre of the room, one of the gun toting wankers blindfolded and gagged with a rag, his wrists bound to an arm, his ankles to a chair leg each. Anthea left nothing to chance.

He looked up at the sound of footsteps approaching, already looked a little roughed up but that could have just been from his capture, Naomi was certain that Anthea was more than capable of getting the information herself so that wouldn't be the reason they were here.

Anthea walked over to her captor, dragged her hand across his face before removing the blindfold. Naomi watched his eyes dash left and right talking in the two new figures before him. He looked nervous yet there was defiance shining in his eyes, at a glance her gut told her he wasn't going to sing like a canary at first touch. Maybe Anthea just didn't want to get her hands dirty? Unlikely though.

Anthea crouched before him, raised her hand to the gag around his mouth "You know the rules, shout or scream too much and it's going back on." He nodded and she stood up before removing the gag. Naomi leaned against the wall of the garage and watched as he flexed his jaw a couple of times. Settling back she watched the master at work.

Anthea circled him like she was a hunter stalking her prey "Who do you work for?" She questioned. He clamped his jaw shut and followed her movements. Definitely defiant then.

Anthea just continued to circle him, asking the question again, but his response remained the same it was perfectly clear that her blades motto was partly placed here, currently they had no hope of him talking but perhaps a little fear was all they needed to loosen his lips.

On the fifth attempt Anthea gave Naomi a nod and she stood straight stepping away from the wall instantly gaining his attention. It was at that very moment that Cook stepped in raising his arms between us. "Whoa whoa is that really necessary, I mean if she gets her hands on him he won't be able to talk."

This was the way it played out, of course Naomi had no intension of incapacitating him to the point he couldn't tell them anything useful, but he didn't know that. It had the desired effect too, the guys eyes flashed with fear if only for a moment, he had looked anxious.

"You have a better idea?" Anthea asked Cook, playing the scene out as though it was scripted, a tactic tried and tested.

Cook rubbed his chin for a moment before feebly suggesting an offer of cash, his voice much higher than normal, the guy just laughed as though it were the stupidest suggestion in the world. "Well what do you propose then?" he barked angrily at him.

"How about you just let me the fuck go, and I'll forget I ever met you." Foolish suggestion and one they had of course heard before, were fully prepared for.

"Do you have a death wish or are you really that fucking stupid? You really want me to let Blue here loose on you?" Cook asked gesturing towards Naomi who had taken up residence leaning against the wall again. The guy just laughed in Cooks face, he truly was a complete and utter wanker it seemed. Cook just shook his head and stepped away moving to stand with Anthea, leaving the path clear for Naomi.

She stood, stared at him for a minute or two before she moved, didn't even bother asking him a question just walked around to stand behind him and rested her hands on his shoulders gently for a few seconds before leaning forwards and asking quietly with the iciest voice she could muster "Who do you work for?" She was met with silence took the opportunity to jam her thumb into a nerve centre applying pressure to his collar bone as she asked again in the same cold voice. A grunted "Fuck you" was the only response she got when she jammed her thumb in deeper when he hadn't replied immediately.

Releasing her grasp she walked around to stand before him, leaning in close looking in his eyes, her eerily black lenses holding his gaze. She stood and slapped him hard across the cheek, now grateful for the gloves as her hand stung like a bitch which would have been worse without them. "I asked you a fucking question and I expect an answer" she slapped him again not even giving him the opportunity to reply. From her position she jammed her thumb back in the same point rolling it slightly from side to side as she asked him again. It was an effective technique and essentially harmless though enormously uncomfortable, he tried to wriggle from her grasp but realistically was doing no more than causing himself more pain.

She leaned in and asked again and was met with silent and another hiss of pain. She kept her left thumb digging in as she slapped him hard again this time with the back of her hand, her rings surely causing a sting against his face even through the gloves.

"Tell me what I want to know." she threatened menacingly. He leaned towards her and she read his actions in a flash, he was going to try and head but her.

"Don't even think about it" she barked as she moved her right hand to grasp firmly around his throat squeezing hard.

"Hurts doesn't it." Naomi stated, she knew all too well how much it hurt, had encountered the same feeling not less than twenty four hours ago.

"The pain, that's my thumb and forefinger constricting the oxygen to your brain" his eyes were flashing wildly from side to side as he struggled against the binds holding him trying to draw breath. "Any minute now you're going to pass out."

In that instance, Cook was there at her side playing good cop, trying to tug at her arm "Come on now blue that's enough!" his voice was laced with concern, fake concern but their captor wouldn't know that. Naomi just ignored Cook, kept her black eyes trained on the face before hers. "Maybe when you wake up we'll try again, Maybe you'll have something useful to tell me or maybe next time I won't let go when you black out."

Naomi kept her grip on his throat firm until his eyes started to close and his body sag, holding just a couple of seconds extra to make sure he wasn't faking it. Once out she checked his pulse to make sure she hadn't held too long but the rhythm was there steady and relatively strong all things considered. She released him completely, let his head flop forward before standing fully and pulling up the balaclava.

"Well well well...Impressive...If I didn't know you were faking it I might have actually been a little concerned there for a moment blondie." Anthea joked. "Surprised he didn't shit his pants."

Naomi rolled her eyes, not that Anthea could tell with the contacts "Could have fucking warned us you had one of these tossers" she gestured over her shoulder with a thumb "Where the fuck did you get him from?"

"That darling daughter of mine got him with a tranq gun, I picked him up after I'd cleaned up the mess a little figured you'd want to know who invaded our little party as much as I did. I think it's safe to say they weren't there for my team, you already knew that though." Naomi nodded, she did they hadn't tracked Anthea's team, if they had they would have come through the back entrance of the building or at least been better prepared, they appeared to have just followed Naomi's team only she wasn't sure who they were following or why. That's exactly why they were here now though, to find out who had sent them and more importantly who it was they were after.

"Do you expect him to talk" Cook asked.

"Eventually" Anthea replied confidently "I believe a little persuasion may be required though" she looked directly at Naomi as she spoke. It was an order of sorts, or at least permission to do whatever it took. She knew why Anthea would risk it, one word. Effy. Anthea was worried they were after Effy and there was no tie stronger than love, blood or otherwise, she would do whatever it took, consequences be damned. It wasn't the first time she had intervened and looked out for her daughter from afar and it sure as hell wouldn't be the last.

Tugging the balaclava back down she walked over and picked up some water and started to throw it in her captors face to rouse him. He took only moments to come around his breath a little ragged, shallow. She walked over and grabbed the other chair placing it opposite his before settling calmly.

"Let's try again then shall we. Who do you work for?" She asked in the same cold tone of voice that she had learned to be more threatening than an angry voice. People always feared those in control, it meant that they were well aware of what they were about to do and it didn't bother them in the slightest. She was met with silence once again and sighed dramatically before she raised her leg, pulled her heel back and jammed her boot down on the front of his knee so hard he rocked slightly on his chair as did she. The crunching sound was barely audible over the scream of pain that ripped through his vocal cords.

"One more time. Who do you work for?" He looked at her defiant, pain shining in his eyes yet still defiant. She leaned forward wrapped her knuckles on his knee. "Do you know how many joints there are in the human body?" She asked "How many ligaments, pieces of cartilage that can tear with a little force? Because I've always wanted to find out." She stared at him hard in the face. "Are you going to help me find out, or would you rather just tell me who it is that you work for."

Naomi didn't want to find out, quite frankly it wasn't what she had planned on doing today wasn't something she had planned on doing ever but they needed answers and if he wasn't going to share them willingly then she would make him.

"You idiot just fucking tell her, she'll do it. I've seen her do worse trust me, just tell her what she wants to know before she breaks your other knee." Cook pleaded with him, tried to make him see sense. Met with silence she placed her hand on his knee and applied the slightest bit of pressure, it was enough though.

"Nox" He shouted "I work for Nox."

"See, that wasn't so difficult was it now?" she turned her face to Anthea looking for some sort of reaction in her body language but it wasn't clear if Anthea knew this Nox group or not. It wasn't something Naomi had heard of.

Anthea started to pace muttering the name under her breath before she snapped her fingers "Soviet" she voiced as something clicked into place "A Soviet contact of mine mentioned them. A group of Red army foundered it. Something about it being like black ops cover up but privatised, freelance."

Naomi followed Anthea's chain of thought "Question is, what exactly are they covering up, or who I should say." She turned back to her captor grabbing his knee with more force ignoring his pain "Who were you there to eliminate?" She asked he just laughed in her face.

"Not eliminate." His smile was smug seemingly impressed with himself or impressed with the fact that they really didn't have a clue.

"WHO?" she roared at him her anger taking over she had a feeling she knew who it was, but she needed the confirmation, it was logical it all made sense. Soviet...freelance agency...Russian.

He laughed again "Speed" One word that's all he gave her, it made no sense to her, she looked to Anthea but she wasn't reacting either, then to Cook. Nothing.

She stood from her chair and walked over to her stuff rummaging in her bag.

Cooks voice cut across her brain that was desperately searching for a relationship to 'speed.' "Why not eliminate?" he asked. This clearly was the right thing to ask because their captors smile was even smugger as Cook engaged him.

"Had to be sure, don't give the order to capture till we were sure. Would have done it If it hadn't been for that fucking blonde and that other one that shot me, crazy bitch." Naomi heard the thud of a punch and then the crash of a chair as Anthea floored him in one hit.

"Fucking tell me or I'll make you tell me!" Anthea screamed at him, his reference to Effy being like waving a red flag at a bull.

Naomi stood holding in her hand the blade Anthea had given to her as a gift. "Capture what?" She asked again watching as Cook pulled his chair up off the floor, a trickle of blood flowing from a cut on his mouth that Anthea had caused in her Effy defence.

"Not what sweetness, who" he replied. That seemed to be the final straw for Anthea as she ripped the balaclava off her head and threw it to the side, Naomi watched him visibly pale. He'd blown it, seen their identity which meant only one thing he wasn't leaving here alive.

"Enough with the fucking games." Anthea told him as she snatched the knife from Naomi's hand. "Tell me who you were there for or you and Mister Pointy here are about to get very friendly." Even as Naomi watched it was fucking scary. Anthea was stood firm the knife in her grasp her eyes still black from the contacts but her blonde hair framing her face. Naomi pulled her balaclava off as did Cook, there was no point keeping them on now.

Their captor took one look at Naomi and just laughed at her it was maniacal he seemed to have either resigned himself to his fate or lost the plot in the last few moments because this reaction just wasn't normal.

Naomi barely saw it Anthea had moved so fast but the scream of pain was enough to know she had caused some serious damage in that moment. As she looked she saw her silver knife sticking out of his hand, pinning it to the arm of the chair beneath it.

"You fucking crazy bitch" He screamed at her. Anthea just stared at him as she moved forwards and grabbed the knife jiggling it a bit. "Call me that again and I might just stick this in your eye" before she yanked it out. "Now who were you there to capture." She asked again.

He motioned to Naomi "Why don't you just ask her, she fucking works with them."

Naomi didn't have a chance to comment within seconds she heard another howl of pain and the knife was sticking in his other hand.

"Wrong answer" Anthea scolded him. "Last chance, who were you there for?"

"It's the twins" Naomi spoke her voice not sounding like her own, foreign to her "It has to be, its not me, not Effy it can only be the twins...But why? Why them and why were you so crap at getting them?"

He whimpered a little as Anthea pulled the blade out then pointed at the only remaining limb untouched, a silent threat. "They got caught Stella was distracting the guards and Lux she stole something, something of value, Karlakov he wants it back."

Naomi turned to Anthea "I need to warn them." Anthea nodded but didn't have a chance to reply because another laugh filled the room.

"Too late, you're all too late" he spoke his voice full of amusement. "My team, we were the scouts, today was the capture amazing how easy it was to set up as well, arrange a job and poof readymade trap."

More laughter filled the room and then a silenced gunshot followed by nothing. Naomi turned saw the outstretched arm of Anthea holding a pistol, her arm didn't waver in the slightest.

Anthea turned her attention to Naomi "This job, you know about it I presume?"

Naomi nodded "Sort of, I know of it I just don't know any details."

Anthea tilted her head slightly "And Effy?" it wasn't much of a question but Naomi understood, hell even Cook understood and she didn't want to answer but knew she must. A nod was all she could manage.

Infuriating Effy, Katie and pocket sized Emily were all walking into a trap and they didn't have a clue.

.

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**Errr so yeah little nervous at posting that...hope it didn't disappoint.**


	9. Stronger Harder Faster

**Usual warning, lots of action maybe a little brutality, you know the score. **

**Oh and I am soon to find myself with something resembling a life again which means I can actually get back to reading and reviewing the wonderful works on this site. So if you have any recommendations feel free to share, I haven't read anything new for an age.**

**Skins isn't mine, if it was I'd kidnap it and run away to an Island to ravish it.**

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If Naomi could see Anthea's eyes she was certain she would have seen pure fury and determination. Effy was in danger and when that happened it was as though something primeval took over, her motherly instinct kicked in. She was ready and willing to fight, to maim, to kill, even die for her daughter. Naomi understood and she would do all she could to save Effy, to save Emily, even to save Katie.

Mentally Naomi cursed Anthea's temper for killing their hostage so quickly when he would have had all the answers they needed, would have barely needed any more persuasion either just another jiggle of the knife perhaps a little more but it didn't matter now, there was no way to make the dead speak.

She turned looking from Anthea to the dead guy slumped in the chair. "What did he have on him when you kidnapped him?" Anthea just shook her head already guessing where Naomi was going with this "Nothing, nothing personal anyway or anything that would have even linked him to Nox." Naomi nodded, knew it had been a long shot hoping there was something that could lead them to the others setting the trap.

She reached for her phone, dialling Effy's number, cursing as it went to voicemail. Of course had expected as much but she had been hopeful none the less. Running through her options she tried to work out the best way to track Effy and the twins down, Effy's phone might be ringing through to voicemail but there was still a possibility that she would have it on her.

"Cook call JJ, get him to trace the GPS on Effy's phone."

Naomi didn't wait to see if he followed her instructions passed her phone across with Effys number on the screen and instead walked over and lifted the knife from the floor where Anthea had dropped it. She heard Anthea in the background calling in her apprentice to clean up the mess she was leaving behind whilst simultaneously shoving a barrage of weapons into a holdall, also heard Cook tell JJ what they needed him to do, together they worked as a team, operating like a smooth well oiled machine.

Naomi took the opportunity to get changed, if they were going to get the others she couldn't risk doing it dressed as she was, as a member of the team that only yesterday sold her information. She loosened the tie, pulling the knot down just enough so she could move the noose over her head before then losing the jacket and shirt and slipping her own ribbed jumper back on over her vest top. Before she had a chance to change back into her jeans Cook's voice interrupted her. "Got it not far from here twenty miles or so."

They piled out, shutting the warehouse doors on the dead. Naomi slipped into the back, taking her bag with her and wasted no time in shimmying out of her jeans as Anthea gunned the engine, tyres screeching on the tarmac beneath them. Reckless and chaotic driving didn't make it easy to get changed, but it wasn't impossible as they weaved in and out of traffic receiving a barrage of horns, flashed lights, raised fists and gestures but Anthea was a woman on a mission and nothing was going to dislodge her, nothing except perhaps a queue of cars completely at a standstill.

Anthea's fiery curse echoed in the car as she slammed the heel of her hand into the steering wheel in temper, her fear for Effy driving her emotions to a new level. Naomi watched as she shoved the gearstick into reverse flooring the accelerator smashing her car forcefully into the front of the innocent driver behind her, then rammed the car into first and the car surged forwards into the vehicle in front, repeated the action making enough space to slip out of the stream of stationary traffic and mount the pavement making her own road. Pedestrians screamed as Anthea drove through the crowd parting them out of shear fear for their lives, bins, boxes tables, chairs any item in her path was left in a crumpled heap behind her or forced from her path, Anthea was like a hurricane clearing a route leaving destruction in her wake.

Cook was frequently screaming at Anthea shouting at her to watch out for oncoming vehicles or people that weren't moving quickly enough, whilst at the same time urging her on in her quest to reach their destination as quickly as possible, it was a race, a race that none of them had any intention of losing. Naomi leaned into each and every hard corner taken allowing herself to move with the car rather than be thrown around like a doll in the back, now free of the traffic they were tearing through the streets at speed nearing their destination.

Naomi took the opportunity to reach into Anthea's holdall and draw herself a weapon, she of course had her knife, this time slipped into the side of her boot because she didn't have her familiar holster to stow it in on her forearm. She grabbed a glock, released the mag and checked it was full before sliding it back in and releasing the slide, cocking the barrel and flicking the safety on and off her habitual nature taking over as she prepared for the battle before her. Looked in the bag and grabbed herself a flash bang slipping that into her jacket pocket as well as another mag for her glock.

The building they were heading to was a hotel, a maze of corridors rooms, basements, staff access areas, essentially a nightmare and JJ couldn't narrow it down any further and even if he had the chances of them being in the same location was unlikely. It was going to be somewhat like looking for a needle in a haystack and worse off they had 3 needles to find which meant that they as a team were probably going to split up. Tactically Effy, Katie and Emily were likely to be in close proximity to one another but realistically in combat they could easily be separated running to take cover or offensive and defensive positions depending on the situation before them.

Anthea slammed on the breaks at the front of the hotel virtually abandoning her car across two spaces, she at least had the common sense to remove the keys form the ignition before the three of them exited doors slamming behind them. Naomi slipped her glock into the back of her jeans and threw the holdall to Cook who rummaged, pulling out his own gun and amo before passing the bag to Anthea who didn't bother looking in the holdall instead turned on her heel and led the way into the hotel with Naomi and Cook following behind her.

Naomi knew Anthea couldn't lead this mission despite her actions thus far, she was too emotionally charged, willing to put herself at risk for the sake of her daughter and that would inevitably put everyone at risk, she couldn't let that happen.

She turned to Cook "Give me your phone a minute" he handed it over without question, she scrolled through the names finding the one she wanted and dialled JJ.

"JJ its Naomi, yeah that Naomi...JJ...JJ shut up, I need you to hack into the security system here, find out where the others are, use the camera's you got it? Yeah, I understand, look just get it done JJ this is like child's play for you right?" She rolled her eyes at Cook as JJ nattered away in her ear, but she could hear the tapping of keys in the background so just decided to let him continue.

Stood holding the phone in the lobby her eyes were alert glancing back and forth despite her focus on the voice in her ear. She turned her attention to Cook and Anthea, looking at them each in turn "Fifth floor...closed east wing...Just two of them?" She sighed at that piece of news which meant they were definitely splitting up.

"Do they look the same?" she asked trying to establish if that was both of the twins or if one was Effy. "I mean do they look alike, like sisters or different." She pinched the bridge of her nose "Okay find the other one, call me back on my phone" she reeled the number off and handed Cook his phone back.

"Fifth floor, Effy and one of the twins, I'll pick up the last one." Naomi turned to Anthea specifically stared her hard in the face. "You know if she sees you she'll probably try to shoot you too" Anthea didn't reply instead swivelled turning her back on Naomi and ran to the stairs slinging the holdall over her shoulder as she went.

Naomi and Cook moved towards the lifts "Looks like your wish just might come true, a hot twin and shooting" she joked at Cook before turning serious "Watch Anthea's back and your own, if Effy sees Anthea, she's going to think she's behind this, she won't hold back."

"Cookie can handle a couple of women, don't you worry babes, plenty of practice" he added with a wink. Naomi shoved him in the chest "Pig" she countered as she heard the ping signalling the arrival of the lift.

"JFDI yeah?" he nodded "You fucking know it babe." Their old school motto for 'Just Fucking Do It' bringing back fond memories, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket as Cook stepped into the lift "Text me when its done" she ordered before slipping her phone out and answering.

"Okay got it, thanks JJ look do me a favour keep an eye out for any back up, if Vendetta send a reaper team in Cook and Anthea are in deep shit, call him if they do you'll have to be their eyes keep them out of sight...one last thing I need to you remote wipe their security feeds, we were never here, got it? Send Anthea or Cook to take out any physical logs they have on site when they're done alright? Good." She hung up and set out at a sprint to the stairs that Anthea had travelled up slipping her phone in her pocket as she went. He'd found the other scuffle on the first floor in the goods and storage area that ironically was on the ground floor from the back of the hotel due to the fact that it was partly built into a hillside.

Naomi made quick work of the two flights of stairs taking them two at a time before she broke into a sprint down the corridor, JJ had given her rough directions, it's a good job too as she found herself in another lobby with three exits off and no signs, not that she needed it, she ran though the small crowd and took the right corridor sprinting again her arms pumping along with her legs spurring her on, she braced a foot on the wall as she turned to stop herself from losing too much speed and continued her sprint, she could start to hear fighting, the distinct sounds of combat familiar to her ears, it only increased her adrenaline, made her stronger, allowed her to push her body harder, faster.

She reached the end of the corridor and stopped, her heart was pounding in her chest, pumping chemicals through her body she was alert and ready like a cat set to pounce on its prey. She sunk low to the floor and snuck a glance around the corner, there were a couple of guys there with their backs to her, they seemed to be watching something or either waiting their turn to get in on the action, it was rather unusual, but then nothing she had seen Nox do had been typical.

Pulling her gun from her back she crept from around the corner up behind the guys and looked in the gap between them to see what they were watching, and that's when her heart plummeted and quickened further all at once. There before her eyes was tiny pocket sized Emily Fitch, Emily who owned the elbows of death that had split her cheek open the day before, the very same one and only Emily locking horns with three rather large and thuggish looking guys who were gaining the upper hand getting licks in that would have rocked the biggest and toughest fighters.

Naomi's killer instinct took over as a rather sickening thud echoed in the room from Emily's body hitting the wall hard, barely moving out of the way before a fist smashed into the wall where her face had been only moments before. These guys were taking no prisoners, they may have been under orders to capture Stella and Lux alive but it seemed there was no instruction on how broken or bloody they could be on arrival.

Naomi wasted no time with taunts or sarcasm, she slipped her gun back into the waistband of her jeans and instead pulled the knife from her boot, aiming to keep her presence unknown leaving her the advantage of surprise. She rushed out a leg sweep taking the guy to her right off his feet before slamming her boot into his face knocking him unconscious as she jammed her blade into the throat of the other guy to her left silencing him in an instant.

Naomi dragged them both back a little further into the corridor so they couldn't be seen before she snuck a look back in the room now able to see properly. Felt a rush of pride at the fact that Emily was still holding her own though her moves looked more desperate than they had been when she had been fighting Naomi the day before.

Turning her attention back to the task at hand she counted the guys in the room, there were three fighting Emily, another three to the left of her and two to the right. They sure as hell sent in a massive team for two little Fitch's, it made her subconsciously question just what exactly Emily and Katie had been up to with Karlakov.

Wiping her blade on her jacket she slipped it back in her boot, pulled her gun from behind her back flicking the safety off and then pulled the flash bang from her pocket. She ripped the pin out and took a deep breath before raising her glock held steady and strong in her right hand. She released the breath and stepped out her legs powering her forwards as bullets poured from her gun, two into the first fighter with Emily, one into the second fighter before she flung the flash bang off to her left and her gun moved to her right taking out one more of the Nox team as she sent a barrage of shots at them. She pushed herself harder allowing the adrenaline to keep her momentum as she shoulder barged the last guy and flung herself on Emily hearing a small squeak escape her lips as she did so, taking Emily clean off her feet crushing her on the floor below her. She clenched her eyes shut and reached her left hand out to make sure that Emily's were covered before the flash bang went off pushing hard against her pinning her to the floor.

Even through closed eyes she could feel the brightness hoped to god Emily's eyes had been covered. She could feel the smaller woman beneath her, the quickened beat of her heart, the rapid rise and fall of her chest, puffs of hot air against her throat.

Naomi opened her eyes and immediately after removed her hand from Emily's eyes. Mouthed 'are you okay?' knowing full well that if Emily's hearing was anything like hers she wouldn't be able to hear a fucking thing thanks to the flash bang.

A nod was all the response she received but it was all she needed, brown eyes met blue and a second felt like an eternity as she saw everything written in those orbs, fear was evident, expected but hidden beneath was also determination and shock which Naomi could only presume was due to her rather forceful arrival but there was something else there, something darker, something she couldn't think of especially right now so instead she rolled to the right off the smaller woman beneath her before rising and leaning a hand down to help hoist Emily to her feet.

They had only moments, seconds even before the rest of Nox's vision returned and they needed each and every one to mount an offensive because escape right now wasn't an option.

Glancing around Naomi counted how many opponents were left, she had taken three out in her initial attack leaving five more unless someone else turned up to join the party.

Naomi spotted one getting to their feet and immediately took advantage raising her gun and firing rounds straight into his chest, the noise from the gun only barely audible to her ears. She felt rather than saw Emily move next to her, saw the flash of her foot reach high and connect solidly with a waiting head, couldn't help but be inspired by the fight this girl had.

She took a shot at a second assailant over Emily's shoulder not making full contact but sinking a slug into his right shoulder at least giving Emily a bit of a break. She then turned to her own raising her gun, his forehead in her sight as she pulled the trigger but was dismayed when all she heard was the click of an empty chamber. Knowing she didn't have time to load another mag Naomi hurled the gun at him, hitting him square in the face before she followed the path of her weapon and ran at him delivering a front kick hard and into his midsection forcing him off his feet.

Taking advantage of her offense she rained blow after blow on him, dancing around him much like she had Emily. She might not have had Emily's natural fighting ability but she had already seen these guys fight, experienced it first hand and although everyone was different they had at least been trained by the same person, they had the same traits as well as the same faults and she took advantage of each and every one, taking the occasional blow if it left her with a stronger offence, an acceptable sacrifice.

She kept continuing to glance over at Emily when she could, started to grow concerned as Emily was back battling two at once and she was taking more and more shots, growing tired, fatigued or perhaps her body just suffering from the pain it was forced to endure.

Naomi took her chance to land a roundhouse kick, it was a rather dangerous move, more flashy than useful especially if fighting an experienced fighter but her challenger was neither and she was willing to take the risk, it connected spinning her assailant away from her, tipping his balance and buying her a moments relief. She took the opportunity to reach for the knife in her boot and hurled it at one of Emily's attackers, watching as it span in the air before sinking deeply into the guy she had shot only moments before. He staggered for a few steps before sinking to his knees and finally to the floor leaving Emily just the one attacker left.

She turned her attention back to her own issue and was fortunate to be just in time to block a shot with her forearm that could have taken her out cold. Her arm ached with the blow a grunt of pain leaving her lips involuntarily, these guys were powerhouses and when they got a good full swing you had no choice to block it and hope that your body could withstand the blow.

They battled on the pair of them, neither gaining ground or losing it, Naomi found ways past his defences but nothing really rocked him to the point she could capitalise, he just came back for more like some sort of machine, it was going to call for something radical something that was going to hurt. She waited, waited for the perfect opportunity and when she saw it she let him land the blow to her face, although masking it slightly as she turned with the shot reducing some of the impact but still taking part of it too. She fell to the floor landing on her chest, faked being unconscious made sure she was facing Emily and the other fighter betting he would run over to help his comrade and collect the cargo rather than check to see if she was out cold.

As soon as his footsteps passed her she took the opportunity, hopped to her feet and front kicked the back of his knee as she jumped on his back wrapping her arms around his throat and her legs around his waist, holding on for dear life bracing herself for the fall she knew was coming as he toppled backwards. His hands grabbed at her over his head but she ignored them instead held her grip firm her forearm around his throat wrenching on his neck strangling the life out of him until his movements stilled, this time did hold on just that little bit longer wanting to take him out not just knock him out.

She rocked her body pushing his dead weight off her, it took a couple of attempts but she was able to free herself eventually, she looked over at Emily pleased to see she was gaining the upper hand and that they could finally get the heck out of dodge post hasty.

Except she felt the cold hard metal of a gun pressed against the back of her head, felt the blood drain from her face in an instant as the realisation set in, of course there had been one more person left except for the one fighting Emily, she had lost track and now she was paying the price.

"SPEED!" A rough voice shouted from behind her, Emily's eyes flashed to her own and she could see the horror written all over her face "I've got your friend here" he accentuated his comment by shoving the barrel of his gun forcefully into the back of Naomi's head, metal clanking against skull.

Emily looked defeated, she could continue to fight but one shot and it was all over for Naomi, and then that gun was going to be pointed at Emily and she had nowhere to run and no defence against bullets. She dropped her arms to her side and Naomi begged her with her eyes to fight, to run or do _something_ but Emily was giving them what they wanted, all to save her.

Naomi watched as the guy Emily had been fighting grabbed her and forcefully shoved her to the floor, wrenched her arms behind her back and snapped a cable tie around them pulling it tight so a grimace of pain crossed her features.

Brown met blue one more time and then Naomi felt the barrel leave her head before it returned again hard striking her before the darkness took her.


	10. Control Amid Chaos

**Thanks for the reviews lovely people.**

**Skins isn't mine...yada yada yada**

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A droning sound reverberated around her, echoing and breaking through the fog but not clearing it. She felt confused and disoriented slightly nauseous even, like when you've spent the day at a theme park as a kid and as you lay in bed at night you feel yourself being flip turned upside down on rides still even though you know you're laying comfortable in your bed, except she wasn't comfortable in her bed and she wasn't on a roller coaster, nor had she been on one.

She felt a heavy thud and groaned inwardly as the bump caused her head to jolt and hit whatever she was laying on, it wasn't a pleasant experience, did nothing except make her want to wish she was unconscious again as the throbbing in her head increased. Cracking her eyes open she was met with blackness, complete and total darkness which was probably a relief as anything that resembled a bright light right now would definitely be unwelcome.

Naomi took hold of her situation, she was laying on her side, her arms tied behind her back, the ties biting hard into her flesh, her feet were also bound it seemed. She tried to remember how she got here but everything was a little foggy, hazy around the edges. Another thud and this time Naomi verbalised the pain it caused without conscious effort.

"Naoms" she heard whispered in a husky voice, she recognised it immediately. It took her by surprise, she still wasn't exactly with it but she knew it belonged to Emily.

"What happened?" Naomi asked, a slight slur to her words.

"You don't remember?" Emily asked to which Naomi just grunted as an especially violent movement of her surroundings shook her body.

"Some guys, they attacked me" Naomi interrupted her "Nox, they're called Nox" she informed Emily "Right...and then you were there...and then it was...things were crazy but we were winning, but then there was this other guy and he had a gun to your head and...well..." Emily trailed off, Naomi didn't need her to fill in the blanks the pain in her skull did that just fine on its own. "Anyway, then they dragged you out, threw you in here, shoved me in and then here we are, you've been out for ages I was starting to worry."

A car, of course, they were in a boot and suddenly the roller coaster motion made sense now along with the droning sound which must be tyres on tarmac drifting through the wheel arch.

Naomi laid silently, her eyes staring straight ahead into the darkness whilst she regained her senses, tried to get her body back under her control used the time to allow her foggy brain to try and remember, piece together the information Emily had told her with what she vaguely remembered herself.

It was there again though, that husky voice cutting through her senses "How did you find me?" Emily asked. Naomi hadn't given a great deal of thought to how she would deal with this question up until now, she had been more focused on getting there on time, getting out alive and unscathed than spend time considering how she would answer that question, but apparently that plan had all gone to shit and she didn't have enough of her faculties about her to lie well so instead opted with a slightly adapted version of the truth. "One of the guys from yesterday, I tracked him down and he told me where you were, about the trap they set."

"Right..." Emily replied her mind obviously processing what Naomi had said, whilst Naomi did the same. She pulled the information together, recalled their little interrogation of the Nox captive, what he had said about them steeling something.

"What did you take?" Naomi asked absent minded as she thought.

"What?" was the confused reply to meet her ears, Emily of course not following Naomi's train of thought, probably not sure who Nox were or why they wanted her, though she must have had some clue as they called her by her alias.

Naomi continued allowing her thoughts to naturally guide her conversation "The guy from yesterday said you had taken something, from that Russian, Karlakov and he wanted it back, what did you take?"

Silence met Naomi's for a while before she heard the response, barely audible over the drone of the tyres. "Doesn't matter now, it's gone I got rid of it" Emily replied distantly.

They stayed like that lying there, neither able to really move but just allow their bodies to be shifted slightly with each turn, brake and acceleration of the car until everything started to slow down before finally coming to an abrupt halt. Naomi felt her body slide backwards till her back was pressed against the back seats, before a warm body slid into her front. She felt the puff of Emily's breath on her skin, heard it hitch slightly as the slamming of car doors reached their ears. Her own heart was hammering by now, which achieved nothing but increased the pounding in the back of her head but she couldn't control it.

Light flooded the boot of the car and Naomi clamped her eyes shut as the brightness overwhelmed her senses, she didn't see what happened but she felt the warmth from Emily's body disappear before rough hands were grabbing at her own limbs, dragging her body forwards and hauling it from the boot dropping her unceremoniously on the cold concrete below. Naomi landed with a heavy thud, the air rushing from her lungs as she was unable to break her fall.

Opening her eyes Naomi allowed them a second to adjust properly to the light, it wasn't so bright now the courtesy light from the boot no longer shined right in her face. She was in what looked to be an underground car park, could see Emily in front of her tied exactly as she was, hands and feet bound with thick ties that left no room for movement.

Rough hands were back instantly picking her up by her elbows one on each side, her face towards the floor before they started marching forwards, her bound feet dragging behind her, Emily being dragged in the same position in front of her. Their journey continued for which all Naomi could really see was the floor beneath her and the occasional view ahead of her that didn't help one iota. She could hear the guys carrying her talking fluently in Russian, the Slavic language spoken too quickly and not quite loud enough for her to really grasp their conversation but at least managing to pick out the odd words or phrases.

They stopped and began to turn to the left and Naomi felt herself being lifted before being shoved quite forcefully into a chair, she struggled and wiggled as much as she could to resist but her current predicament didn't exactly give her much to work with and the slap she received in return was a harsh reminder of her situation. It rocked her, sending her mind dizzy again at the sharp jolt that caused her vision to swim for a second. Though still conscious it stripped away enough of her strength to allow them to unclip the ties behind her back and replace them around a chair arm each. Emily it seemed was seated in the same position facing her, a trickle of blood running from her lip that was split as well as a few scratches that must have happened in the fight earlier.

The situation looked bleak, they were well and truly outnumber plus unable to break free from the binds, she had no weapons that she could feel, no phone in her pocket that had been there earlier and her body ached from her earlier antics, not that it would matter soon enough if the guys staring at them gave any indication as to their future.

Naomi stared at Emily who returned her gaze, it was different, her eyes no longer that soft and warm chocolate brown, but rather harder, colder more like her own and Naomi realised this must be her alias, Emily was gone and Lux Speed had taken residence.

She watched as Emily shifted her gaze slightly over Naomi's shoulder and if she could have followed her line of sight she would have, but it turns out she didn't need to as she felt hands rest on her shoulders from behind her and instantly her body stiffened.

A scowl broke over Emily's face and Naomi could only presume that this guy was someone that she knew and apparently he wasn't someone she liked.

"So Lux I see you and your friend here have been causing a bit of trouble yes?" he stated his English heavily laced with a Russian accent, it was different to the others she had heard, much stronger. "Yes, quite the maker of trouble you've been, stealing and killing, then running away you and your sister." Naomi kept her eyes trained on Emily thought the entire conversation, her jaw was tight but she gave little away except for the slightest hint of anger when her sister was mentioned.

"Stella she should be here with us, but she seems to have evaded capture with a little help" he squeezed Naomi's shoulders hard applying pressure through both thumbs at the sound of the word 'help.' Relief flashed in Emily's eyes upon hearing that Katie was safe, and Naomi was equally glad that she appeared to have escaped and spared a moments thought to consider if Effy, Cook and Anthea all evaded capture or injury too, hoped they had, as they were all the hope she really had left.

"It matters not, she just misses out on all the fun. You see Lux you are going to tell us where you hide it." He continued his English not quite perfect before her was interrupted by a snort from Emily.

"You think you will die before you tell me? I haven't forgotten what you do to me Lux" Naomi watched Emily's features morph into one of smugness "I am more than aware of the lengths you will go, of the things you can take before you tell me, but you see I have something you won't want to risk. I learned long ago you Westerners weakness, your own pain is ok but other peoples pain, peoples you know is your weakness."

Naomi kept her gaze at Emily strong, defiant, she would not be the reason behind Emily's weakness. But she couldn't help but think this could be it, Emily said she didn't have it anymore whatever _it_ was, she had destroyed it and unless she was lying (and her gut said she wasn't) they were pretty screwed. Naomi felt the hands on her shoulders leave her and watched him move in front of her to a table his back to her before he turned around with a syringe in his hands.

"So do you tell me where it is Lux or do we get started?"

Emily's jaw tightened further if at all possible as she looked at Naomi in front of her, begging for forgiveness because she couldn't help her and Naomi knew it. All the while this conversation had been going on Naomi had spent her time trying to free herself subtly from her binds, tensing her wrists and tugging trying to get enough movement to slip free or break them but it was fruitless.

Emily's silence was enough of an answer so he walked towards Naomi with the syringe, she struggled against her binds harder, instinctively, hoping to find some way out of them. She felt arms appear from nowhere, hold her head over to the side grabbing her chin roughly, stretching her neck on one side she struggled on still, grunts of frustration and curses of fury but they were too strong and she didn't have a hope in stopping them, she felt the sharp sting of the needle in her neck before she felt the cold liquid flow into her system.

"This little cocktail it is one of my favourites, enhances pain which means I can do very little to make her scream, there are a few other effects, some hallucination, disorientation all help to increase the fear and the pain. It takes a small while to really take effect I'll leave you to think, whilst your friend here gets ready."

He gave Naomi a little pat on the cheek before he left and already she could feel the heat on her skin left behind from the slightest touch, she could feel her pulse racing which only helped to speed the toxin through her system quicker, she was already on her way to the edge.

She couldn't hold Emily's gaze couldn't cope with the concern there instead let her head fall forward and her eyes closed as she concentrated on anything but the situation she was in, doing her best to calm her racing heart beat and stay in control.

"Blondie" she heard the strained voice call her, ignored it at first until Emily was repeating it a little more desperately each time.

She kept her eyes closed downcast as she replied, could feel anger replacing the calm at the situation she found herself in, anger that Emily had unknowingly used Cooks nickname for her and she still didn't know if he was alive. "That's not my name _Lux."_

"No, but its close enough, feels fitting" Emily replied rather feebly. Naomi nodded her head still dipped forwards careful not to shift her body too much, not to break her control.

"How you doing? Still with me." Emily asked hesitantly.

Naomi just laughed she couldn't help it, it was irrational, just like her anger had been at Emily calling her, she was losing her grasp on reality as each second ticked by. "How do you think I'm fucking feeling?" The irrational side of her took over as she felt her grip slip a little more. "I feel fucking wired like the worst trip you've ever had multiplied tenfold. That's how I'm fucking feeling!"

Her head was on fire each beat of her heart echoing in her mind stoking the fire, her whole body quite literally felt like it was smouldering, it had started slow at first like flames licking at her skin randomly at all the areas that were already a little tender, uncoordinated in its path but it had built to a smouldering heat steadier but still fluctuating in intensity though always at a constant level that never eased off.

She felt as though she was there teetering on the edge of a cliff held over an inferno, her arms spread wide the fear, the rush all ready to hit her at once, overwhelm and consume her but she still stood there rocking back and forth from the ball to the heel of her foot.

Taking a deep breath she lifted her head and stared into the concerned face before her as she struggled to pull back from the edge, regain a semblance of control amid the chaos inside her mind and body. "Sorry" she offered and received a strained half smile from the smaller woman in front of her.

"It's okay" Emily replied "Try and concentrate on something, anything to focus on it'll help."

"You sound like you know about this stuff" Naomi asked as she looked around the room, trying to find something to focus on.

Emily didn't reply just shrugged, apparently not really willing to give much else away and Naomi didn't see the benefit of pushing the issue.

"Well I'll take your word for it" She replied her breaking laboured, "I'll concentrate on staying calm and you work on getting us out of here, deal?" Naomi asked.

"Give me the easy job why don't you" Emily joked causing Naomi to smile before she relaxed her body and closed her eyes focusing on keeping calm, on keeping in control as the chaos drew closer, pulling and tugging at her. "Good job I've already got a plan really."

It was unheard of for Naomi to place herself, her life into someone else's hands so freely she was a control freak at heart and although she was more than capable following orders, she more often than not would overrule them with her own if she didn't agree. Anarchy was the key to her success.

But right now she had little choice, she had her own challenges to battle and she couldn't get them out because it looked like they were going to have to fight their way out, right now she was useless physically, one prod and she knew the agony would be there, plus already she could feel the other effects kicking in as she burned. She hadn't wanted to tell Emily but she felt them all around her, faces of the lives she had taken over time good and bad and nobodies, circling her just staring and watching her, waiting for the pain to come for her and then they were going to dance to the beat of her screams, her frantic heart beat providing the rhythm for their art.

She was no good to Emily, she was losing it now tipping over the edge and beginning her decent into the abyss all she could do was hold it together as long as she could. She heard a crash of a chair hitting the ground and opened her eyes to see Emily's chair tipped over and her body rolling backwards until she was on her knees, before rising to her feet, hopping thanks to them still being bound together. She held the chair in front of her, it looked awkward and uncomfortable but she had somehow turned it into a weapon.

Naomi watched as Emily hopped towards the door, but they were there, her ghosts, hallucinations or whatever they were stalking Emily and she wanted to scream, to call out and tell them to get away to not hurt her, to help them. Except it would draw attention and she couldn't so she bit her cheek clamping her eyes closed as the pain ripped through her body. Such a simple action excruciating, this cocktail really was something.

Emily was calling her she could hear it dimly muffled but it was there she opened her eyes and focused solely on the brown eyes in front of her, phased the ghosts from her vision "I need you to make a distraction to get that guard in here, can you do that?"

Naomi nodded, she could do that, all she had to do was open herself up to her surroundings and she would scream and shout, tell them to get away but she was worried that once she started she wouldn't be able to stop. She had to do this though, Emily wanted his attention on her so she closed her eyes and let rip rambling incoherent thoughts, apologies, begging for help, for relief.

She didn't hear the door open, she didn't see the attack, didn't hear the attack even she just heard herself rambling and whimpering, begging almost as she felt her body tremble until warm hands were on her face and they hurt touching the wounds from the day before but she pushed that aside, instead found her focus on those warm brown eyes.

"Shhhh, shhh its okay now alright, focus on me, right here on me okay." Emily ordered her as she cut the ties on her wrists and ankles, physically she may be free but her mind it was trapped, trapped with her ghosts beating on her screaming at her she grabbed hold of the arms in front of her, her eyes flashing to the left and right frantically fear consuming her, gone was hard arse Naomi Campbell and left in her place was something akin to a small frightened girl. "Right here, with me okay Naoms, right here" Emily reassured her "We need to move okay" she grabbed her hand and Naomi flinched at the contact as a ripple of pain flew through her nervous system but she gripped back and let the smaller woman guide her.

They were running, feet pounding through corridors, turning in what felt like circles. The pain travelled through her body but it was enough, the adrenaline enough to push the other effects away, leave her ghosts back in that room captured and trapped there. It seemed to take forever or maybe her perception of time and distance was all skewif thanks to the toxin she didn't know, all she knew was that she was tired, her body ragged, aching all over and she hurt, properly hurt.

They were back in the car park and Emily was smashing a window and forcing Naomi in the passenger seat giving her a gun and showing her where to shoot whilst she hotwired the car. Naomi didn't aim, not properly she just held the gun in the general direction and fired, didn't even know if the people she shot at were real or not, didn't care at all because they were all going to die, or die again, whatever. Her body shook from each kickback and soon the mag was spent, the chamber empty but she continued to fire an empty click echoing until the roar of the engine and the peel of tyres replaced it.

Dropping the gun she wrapped her arms around her knees as the world flashed before her. It was confusing full of bright fast moving and flashing lights drawing closer and moving away, quite frankly scary as shit. Naomi found herself shaking uncontrollably her whole body wracked with tremors despite the fact that nothing had really happened to her. Emily was talking to her, reassuring her but she couldn't focus on it anymore everything was moving too quickly around her for that. Everything was a whirlwind, disjointed, random and disoriented nothing flowed in a natural course of time and movement anymore.

It felt like forever but they seemed to be slowing pulling off somewhere, distantly she recognised it to be a service station and Emily was talking to her again, telling her where they were what they were doing but it didn't matter, she was spent. Hands were soon coaxing her from her protective position, gentle this time but still painful as they guided her towards a bright light before her, a warmth against her body keeping her steady and preventing her from sinking any further into chaos than she already had, helping to do the job she had been struggling with.

More talking and walking and then finally she felt herself being guided onto something soft the warmth still there and as it threatened to leave her she held it tighter not wanting that sole responsibility again, not strong enough to do it now. She held tight to the warmth until it wrapped itself around her, until finally she felt safe, properly safe for the first time today, for the first time in ages.

She let go and sank completely letting the chaos consume her.

**So I will say I'm not sure the end of this chapter would work, I made the fatal mistake of writing myself into a corner and hadnt really considered the challenge of writing an escape from the perspective of Naomi who's well off her tits to be frank. Anyway I hope its okay made sense in a whacked out way, sorry if it didn't but you know, you've read it now and I dont have mind erasing powers sadly.**


	11. Heavy in your arms

**Thanks for the reviews lovely people, appreciated as always.**

**Skins isn't mine if it was they'd all be tripping on hallucinogenic drugs...wait they've been there done that.**

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Naomi didn't sleep not really, she was too out of it, virtually screaming in her head for hours to the point where if she had vocalised it then her voice would have been raspy as fuck, but she didn't voice any of it, if asked she couldn't tell you what had been said, what she had done, all she was certain of was that she hadn't screamed aloud.

It had taken hours until she felt the effects easing, they just kept building, building and building until she was all but consumed. Emily held her for a while until her skin became hypersensitive and then even her touch was too much pressure and her proximity too much to bear. It was then she was left alone, lost to the world, maybe even lost to herself she drifted in and out and she vaguely recalled that warm hand there holding her own, that she held back as tight as she could pain be damned, and that husky voice crooning at her, soothing words echoed in her nightmares and although they couldn't keep her ghosts at bay they gave her something else to contrast them.

Eventually Naomi wore herself out, doesn't remember when, doesn't really remember much, she's just aware of how heavy her body is lying wrapped in a warm embrace again. Aware of how quiet it is except for the steady breaths from Emily, aware that its daylight signalled by the hint of light streaming in through the curtains that didn't quite meet in the middle.

She had at least survived it, made it to the other side of whatever _that _was_. _Except now she still paid the price of the toxin, her body heavy and weak, still trembling slightly as she holds her hand in front of her face, watching as it shakes ever so slightly a sure sign of her fatigue and the toll that the last forty-eight hours had exerted on her. Her head pounded, whether from being knocked unconscious, or dehydration or even a combination of both and more it made no difference, the point was she was spent.

Her mind was no better it seemed as she took her trembling hand and wiped furiously at her eyes. Tears, she had been crying in her sleep, a familiar dream, nightmare even but one she hadn't had for a while although kept at bay clearly it was still there in the back of her mind, just waiting for those moments of weakness and it would remind her of why she lived her life so, what she still had to do, how far she had come, how far she still had to be willing to go to achieve her goal.

Naomi shifted her body from her side and onto her back, staring at the ceiling as she mentally pushed the dream back into its cage, where she needed it to be so she could function, her eyes still continued to betray her, tears still leaking which she swiped at furiously again, sighing deeply releasing the breath though her nose slow and drawn out.

It was then she was reminded that she wasn't alone as the pair of strong arms around her waist tightened, she swiped again at her eyes one last time and tried to harden her mask. She was concerned that she had willingly put her trust, her life in someone else's hands, Emily's hands so freely. She hadn't had a choice, she knew that but the fact she done it still scared her. What scared her more was what it meant now. Emily had seen her weak and broken something she had rarely shared with someone before, a handful of people only and none had been by choice either. Naomi kept everyone at arm's length and she didn't break and she certainly didn't show her weaknesses to or with anyone, well no one that lived to tell the tale at least.

She felt a hand trail up and down her side, stiffening initially as the hand travelled from just below her breast to her hip, soothing her in its repeating pattern, relaxing her eventually and she absently wondered if Emily had done this before, it felt familiar, enjoyable even and that's when she knew she had to stop it by placing her own hand on top of Emily's her eyes still trained on the bare white ceiling above her almost beige looking in the darkened room.

"Hey you..." she heard Emily rasp, her voice rougher than she had heard it before, thick with sleep and exhaustion "Still with me, walls not closing in anymore?" Emily asked as she adjusted her hand and squeezed Naomi's hand in a reassuring manner.

Naomi didn't return the squeeze didn't physically react at all "Something like that."

"I can live with that." Emily replied before removing her hand and using it to stifle a yawn before rubbing her hands over her face, sitting up and walking over to the window parting the curtain a little more and looking through the gap.

Naomi took her opportunity to run into what she presumed to be the bathroom, seating herself on the cold floor as soon as she got there holding her throbbing head in her hands her breath quickening as her body betrayed her, maybe moving so quickly hadn't been such a great idea. She felt the churning begin and tried to push it back down, tried to control it but it was no use and in no time she found herself crouched over the toilet as she heaved. She heard footsteps moving towards her, the padding of bare feet on a hard floor, then felt that soothing hand back on her back, rubbing as the other hand helped brush strands of hair from her face.

Finally finished she felt Emily leave her, head back into the bedroom to grab something before coming back and running the water, then presenting a glass to Naomi instructed with a gentle yet commanding "Drink it." Naomi did as instructed, glad to have anything replace the taste in her mouth "Thanks" she rasped back, her throat now impossibly sore. She stayed there on the floor just drinking the water that Emily had handed her before perching herself on the bath and watching Naomi.

Emily left eventually, when it seemed she was satisfied Naomi wasn't going to worship the toilet again and Naomi was grateful for both facts. She stood a little shakily leaning her weight on the sink, pressing the flush and then staring at her reflection in the mirror. She was surely a sight for sore eyes. Her face bruised not only from her prior run in with Emily's elbows and the thug from Nox but also with a couple of shots from the hotel it seemed, she didn't remember it had all happened so fast, and anything after the hotel had pretty much turned into a blur. She prodded her fingers at her face, felt the tenderness beneath the skin, frowned a little, wondered if anytime this week people were going to stop bruising her face.

Slipping a hand into her hair she grimaced as her fingers became tangled in it, she turned her head to the side to try and get a better look and wasn't surprised when she saw a pink tinge to her normally blonde hair thanks to the meeting of gun and skull at the hotel. She touched it gingerly, decided it didn't feel too bad so continued a little more forcefully before finally feeling satisfied it wasn't anything to worry about.

Next she moved to her hands and arms, they were pretty banged up too, scratched and tender in places but nothing of real concern, except for her wrists which were red and sore thanks to the ties that bound them, figured Emily's were probably the same and made a mental note to grab a sneaky glance when the opportunity presented itself.

Naomi decided enough was enough she was tired her arms growing heavier with each movement and exploration, instead just shut the door and use the bathroom quickly, followed by washing her hands and face then moving back to the bedroom. Emily was sat on the bed her eyes glued to the TV flicking through the news channels presumably looking for any information about what had happened at the hotel.

"Anything?" she asked although not expecting there to be anything, her suspicion was confirmed by Emily's head shake "No, nothing. That's good I suppose, if someone was hurt it would have been on the news" Emily continued. "Or someone just covered it up" Naomi finished rather bluntly, not allowing Emily the hope of a positive outcome but rather shoving the harsh possibility in her face.

Silence fell between them as they became lost in their thoughts, the implications of the cover up, the outcome for their friends and family.

Emily switched the tv off and threw the remote lazily on the bed before crossing and looking through the gap in the curtains again. "Where are we anyway?" Naomi asked, her eyes trained on Emily's back as she looked through the curtains "Oxford, I got us as far as I could before I saw you slipping, before you started tripping out fully." Naomi looked away, stared at the wall on the opposite side of the room, looking anywhere but at Emily and her rather honest admission. "They nearly wouldn't let us in, I thought I'd left it too late" Emily continued though rather unwanted by Naomi at this point.

"What are you looking for?" Naomi asked deciding a change of topic was in order before Emily continued to fill in the blanks that Naomi would rather stayed blank right now. "Looking out for the police" Emily drawled. That reply hadn't been expected, she had perhaps thought that Emily was waiting for someone else or looking out for danger, not the police, her face must have expressed her confusion as Emily continued "The car we took, I smashed the window, it's been drawing attention" and that was at least something that Naomi remembered briefly, the smash of glass, blast of shot after shot and then the roar of an engine.

"How you feeling"? Emily asked rather out of the blue. "Fantastic" she deadpanned "Why?" she asked rather aggressively, somewhat in response to Emily's rather stupid question. "We're going to have to move soon." Naomi groaned she didn't have the energy for this "And go where exactly? We're in the middle of nowhere" her ranting was interrupted by Emily "Oxford isn't the middle of nowhere Naoms."

The calm nature of her interruption did nothing but spur her irate ranting on "Not the point, we've got no money, no vehicle, no clue where we're going, what we're doing, no fucking _anything_!" Naomi buried her face in her hands, she felt furious and lost, knew she was being irrational, she was tired and still a bit wired but for slightly different reasons.

Emily was crouched in front of her when she felt her hands being removed from her face "We need to buy some time Naoms, we have some cash not much but enough to gain us some distance, were about 20 minutes from Oxford train station, then we can go pretty much anywhere, we can decide on the way yeah? Why don't you go have a shower whilst I get us some food."

The suggestion was sound, one that she found more and more attractive as the seconds ticked by. Not so much the food but the shower, the only downside being the fact she would have to put the same clothes on again, put back on her shirt that was now tainted with her own blood and sweat but still feeling clean herself would be an improvement.

She watched mutely as Emily left, stayed that way for a few minutes before pushing herself up off the bed, looking through the gap in the curtains that Emily had been occupying earlier, she couldn't see anything of major concern in the car park which was at least a relief.

She padded into the bathroom turning the water on and turning the temperature up until the room was filled with a light mist of steam, she peeled her clothes off leaving them in a pile on the floor, and stepped under the hot stream of water tilting her face into it allowing it to wash over her, enjoying the heated water on her skin, even enjoying the sting in the many cuts and scrapes that covered her skin. She turned her back on the shower head, allowed the water to cascade over the back of her hair as she looked to the ceiling, leaving a pink tinge to the water as it circled the drain. She rubbed her hands in her hair gently, she had no shampoo but washing the grime from her hair and body was enough for now.

She stayed there for a while letting the water cascade over her body, allowing it to take some of her aches away with it but mostly just giving herself some time to think. She had been irrational in her rant to Emily and the first rule that Anthea had taught her was that if you panic you die…

_Lesson one – Don't Panic._

_Naomi was on edge, her heart was racing, blood pumping furiously through her veins as she waited for her cue to move in. She heard the crackle in her earpiece of the line being opened "You ready Campbell, in and out just like we discussed." Naomi pressed her earpiece "Copy" she replied curtly her brain focused on the mission. _

_It was a simple job, wait for the cue, move in, meander her way through the bar, find her target lift the goods and then escape the same way she entered. Seamless. Unnoticed. _

_Anthea was counting on her to complete the mission, she needed the goods, couldn't risk the information getting out in the open and she couldn't do the job herself, they'd see her coming, recognise her a mile off. Naomi was the perfect choice and this was the perfect choice for Anthea to test her skills, under pressure._

_A crackle in her ear again "He's at the entrance, moving through the door in 3…2…1…" Naomi had left her position of quiet contemplation, her eyes watching the crowd checking for any danger, waving off any people trying to get her attention. She swayed her hips as she watched from the edge of a crowded dance floor, swaying suggestively with someone just so she could watch over their shoulder, allow them to offer her cover._

_The target was a man mid thirties dressed in a suit, clean and crisp, he didn't seem to be with anyone, just standing at the bar rather sheepishly ordering a drink whilst he waited for his customer to make the trade._

_Another crackle in her ear before Anthea's voice filled her mind "scans suggest that the goods are in the top left breast pocket, repeat the top left breast pocket, 20 minutes until the meet" Naomi pressed a hand to her ear piece as she simultaneously swept her hair out of her face slightly, allowing her own crackle to be the only reply she could give, Anthea could see anyway having hacked into the security system._

_Naomi started manoeuvring her cover closer towards the bar, closing the distance to her target preparing herself for the task ahead, she leaned in close and whispered in her ear "Fancy a drink?" her cover nodded eagerly leading her way to the bar and Naomi guided her to the rather fortunate space next to her target. She let her cover buy the drinks whilst she turned her back on the bar leaning against it, allowing her head to bop to the beat of the music, allowing it to loosen her body give off the appearance of being drunk. A shot was produced in front of her which she clinked with another and downed grimacing more for cover but a little in honesty as the liquid burned the back of her throat. "Another!" she roared with a rather giddy smile, completely faked but realistic enough to be entirely believable._

"_Campbell, make the grab now, He's early, just arrived, almost at the door" she heard Anthea's voice in her ear, she could feel the urgency to it and she knew she had only moments before her window of opportunity would close. Another shot was in front of her and she downed it quickly not bothering with the grimace, she slammed the glass down on the bar turned to the woman getting her drunk "One more for the road?" she asked with sly wink, a twinkle in her eye giving her both the out she would need and what she hoped would be the perfect amount of time to create a believable exit. _

_The music changed and she felt her opportunity pressing in on her, she raised her arms in the air "God I LOVE this song" she screamed to no one in particular and began moving sexily dancing with no one but herself but gaining the attention of the man next to her, she allowed herself to topple a bit and fell into her targets chest, letting his arms grab her and steady her as her own hands slipped inside his jacket stealing the item she had been tasked with, slipping it inside the purse in her hand. _

_Seamless. _

"_Shit sorry, it's these shoes my feet are fucking killing me" she joked adding a slur to her accent to further accentuate the desired 'drunken ditzy idiot' image she was going for as he helped steady her back to her feet. She turned a little facing the bar leaning on it with her elbows, she heard Anthea's voice in her ear as the final shot appeared in front of her "Did you get it?" she was asked as she reached one hand out to the shot the other brushing her hair away again "Fuck yeah!" She exclaimed as she threw the shot back, simultaneously answering Anthea. "Good, get out of there Campbell" Anthea instructed "I'll have you covered."_

_Naomi turned to the woman next to her, the cover that had been proving rather useful. She leaned in close purring into her ear "Want to get out of here?" Watched as the woman nodded eagerly "Your place?" she asked with a wink and allowed her hand to be encased in another as she was dragged from the bar giggling as she 'stumbled' in her shoes._

_Unnoticed._

_They made it almost to the exit when a commotion began to break out behind her and she knew instantly that there was trouble, her heart quickened, her muscles tensed as she heard a scream from the crowd followed by a thud somewhat muffled by the music but noticeable to her ears. So she hadn't been unnoticed then, and it hadn't gone quite as she had hoped because it seemed that someone could add two and two together coming up with the correct answer of 'the drunk ditzy woman heading to the exit' she pressed a hand to her ear more obvious than her recent communications "Fuck! Fuck! I've been made" she exclaimed rather panicked._

_Anthea's voice filled her senses "Stay calm Campbell, remember, you panic you die. Got it? Just get to the entrance and start walking away don't look back and don't let him know that you're aware he's after you. I've got your back." Naomi quickened her pace, keeping up the facade as she pulled on the woman's arm, hoping she portrayed it well enough to imply she couldn't wait to get out of here and back to hers. It seemed to work as she got the hint and doubled their pace until they finally made it out into the open where her cover stopped to hail a taxi. Naomi's heart raced, her palms were sweaty and her teeth worried away on her bottom lip as she watched the taxi pulling up but not fast enough._

_She heard more screams as the taxi door opened and she jumped in shuffling over allowing the other woman to begin to follow before she was harshly pulled from view and fell backwards on the street. A leg started to appear in the car before a heavy thud echoed in the distance and his body slumped to the ground as the screams roared. Naomi opened her door and backed away plastering a look of abject horror on her face. It wasn't the first dead body she had seen, the first set of lifeless eyes that bore up at her as a pool of red formed. She heard Anthea talking to her, calling her name but it was foggy and distant, barely audible. _

_She gulped in a large lungful of air as she heard Anthea call her again, as she steeled herself. "Campbell, meet me in the alley to your left." It was an instruction she had needed to kick her body back into gear and get her moving, she allowed herself to be consumed by the crowd, allowed herself to be jostled and lost until she slipped away and down the alley._

_This time definitely unnoticed._

Naomi shook her head from her thoughts, allowed a wry smile to cross her features despite her fatigue. Anthea certainly had been a good mentor but as soon as it was thought concern flooded her mind. What if Anthea had risked everything to save Effy? To save Effy from a situation Naomi had created for all of them just for a little extra cash, because if they hadn't spotted them on the exchange she had arranged then they might not be here today, might have gone unnoticed.

She felt the guilt weighing in on her, laying heavy in her heart, heavy in her arms.

She had to get it together.

She had to put her exhaustion aside.

She had to find the others make sure they were okay.

Then she had to make Nox pay.


	12. The Ties That Bind Us

**As always thanks kindly for your reviews, you certainly know how to make a girl smile. These last few weeks have been a bit of a rollercoaster for me and I know updates have been rather sporadic. Hopefully the normal schedule will resume, whatever that is.**

**Skins isn't mine. I'm glad it's not. I could never do it justice.**

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Naomi left the shower refreshed, still feeling the effects of the toxin but at least her mind was now somewhat organised, she had a plan or the beginnings of one anyway.

She left the sanctuary of the bathroom clothed in the same attire she had started in, at first she had wrinkled her nose in distaste as she had buttoned her shirt up but right now she had no other option, that was until she looked at Emily who held out a bright blue hoodie to her. Naomi cocked an eyebrow "Not the most discrete of colour choices there." Emily shrugged at her "Sorry the five finger discount didn't stretch to designer stealth wear" before turning her back on Naomi and looking out of the window sipping on what Naomi presumed to be coffee from the smell drifting across the room to her.

"So..." Naomi muttered rather sheepishly as she stripped her shirt off and pulled the hoodie over her bra clad torso secretly glad to be rid of the rather distasteful shirt "Any idea's on how we're getting to the train station?" Emily tuned around just as she tugged the material over the last of her stomach adjusting the hood in the mirror so it sat the way she liked. "Taxi is my best thought, its not like anyone is likely to be driving there we can hitch a lift with" Naomi nodded, it made sense what driver stopped at a service station only to then drive into the city less than twenty minutes away, maybe people that were collecting someone but the chances of that occurring were slim.

"How much money do we have?" Naomi asked, curious as to how this was going to work paying for a taxi and then two train tickets to their destination of choice, where ever that was. She watched as Emily shoved her hand into her trousers pulling out notes and change throwing it on the bed before counting it up. "Just over thirty quid, not enough" Emily admitted sadly, that was a problem, one they would need to sort out if they wanted to get some distance, at least the city was an easy place to steal some cash from an unsuspecting traveller.

"Well I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. The fuzz here yet?" Naomi asked as she joined Emily at the window "Yeah, got here a few minutes ago" Emily replied before taking another sip of her coffee "I guess that's the bat signal then, you called for a taxi I assume" Emily nodded as she walked into the bathroom rinsing the cup out and returning it to the side next to the tiny travel kettle that hotel rooms were kind enough to provide.

"Come on then" Emily threw over her shoulder as she headed for the door. Naomi scooped the cash up and shoved it into her jeans pocket before picking up the carrier bag of food that Emily appeared to have purchased the honest way. She shoved her shirt inside not wanting to leave the evidence behind and pulled up her hood before following the smaller woman and shutting the door behind her.

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The taxi journey was thankfully uneventful, Emily had timed it perfectly so they could walk out the hotel and leave immediately in the waiting taxi, the police still distracted checking the car and talking to the person who had reported it rather than looking for the culprits.

Fifteen minutes later they found themselves approaching the station and decided to bail out early, both saving a little cash and allowing themselves the ability to be lost in the city. If the police had traced their where abouts they would have at least lost them somewhere in the city rather than trace them straight to the station plus a quick stop in a couple of busy looking shops and another five finger discount later both were clean clothed and appropriately disguised in rather less conspicuous clothes which Naomi was more than thankful for.

A few more stops and pinching later and Naomi's blonde yet rather scruffy hair was once again hidden back underneath her hood and Emilys brown locks fully encased in a woolly hat. To top the disguise off Naomi had taken the opportunity to grab a pair of glasses purely for the purpose to cover some of the bruise on her cheek and Emily had snatched them a bag to jam their items in so they didn't look so shifty with their carrier bag of odd miss matched items. Finally a couple of bumps and passes along the way and they once again found themselves with enough for a train ticket to get them a reasonable distance and a little extra for an emergency.

Naomi found it refreshing, exciting even to be doing something so simple as stealing, it was still a rush and despite the fact that she still felt sluggish and her hands were not completely in her control thanks to the tremors that shook them on occasion she found the whole ordeal rather fun and Emily just heightened the experience. She really was a master thief, her comment about Emily being a 'right little Fagan' couldn't have been more true. She was in her element swiping cash and goods from unsuspecting victims with a devilish glint in her eyes and a smug expression that was both catching and enthralling.

However the fun had to end, and if there was another thing that Anthea had taught her, it was that being greedy more often than not got you into trouble. Take only what you need and walk away, start taking too much and you get caught, or you get attention and either way it leads to getting caught. Potentially they already had enough attention on them, a handful of people and groups that would be looking for them including the Police, Nox, probably Vendetta as well as Katie and probably even Effy if Katie had enlisted her to help find her sister. Definitely time to move on before they got caught Emily however seemed to have other ideas as she grabbed Naomi's arm and dragged her into the cafe they were walking past.

"Sorry I just need to stop for a bit" she told Naomi which took her by surprise "Why don't you grab us that table and I'll get us some drinks" she continued as she pointed to a table right next to a computer towards the back of the shop. Turns out it was an internet cafe as Emily ordered their drinks and then sat down at the computer and began tapping in a website address. Curiosity won over and Naomi moved to the seat closest to the computer as she stirred her coffee, grateful for the warmth it provided as her hands held firmly wrapped around the cup. Normally she was a tea drinker, but she needed the boost the coffee would give her, apart from the water Emily had given her earlier that morning this was the first drink she had all day, she knew she would of course experience a low on the other side but the boost should last long enough to at least get them to the station, hopefully on the train, maybe even further.

Taking a sip she looked up at the screen to view what looked like a dating website she frowned in confusion, were Emily's priorities really that warped?

"Errr Em's I'm not sure we've really got time for you to sort out your love life" she voice a little aggressively which just caused Emily to snort. "I'm not sorting out my love life you idiot, I'm contacting Katie." Naomi's frown deepened "On a dating agency site..." she looked closer "for gay women?" Her voice had increased in pitch towards the end of her sentence, so much for being a super spy when she didn't hide anything in that comment. She knew Emily certainly had interest in women but Katie she seemed as straight as they come.

"You'd be surprised how well it works" Emily joked as she tapped away pulling up a profile of a rather attractive female "No one would ever suspect us of contacting each other using this would they?" Naomi thought about it and she had a point, this was probably the last place she would have thought of checking, probably wouldn't have even considered it at all actually especially considering they were sisters, and even if someone had looked they clearly had rather fake profiles if Katie's picture was anything to go by that and the fact this wasn't the profile for 'Katie Fitch'.

Not able to help her curiosity Naomi took the opportunity to ask "So how does it work?" Emily cocked an eyebrow at her in amusement and instantly Naomi knew what she was getting at "Not the dating. Pervert. The contacting Katie." Emily chuckled and Naomi found herself smiling at the sound. "Basically it's all to do with our likes and dislikes, we have a code we stick to. Before we go on a mission, we change our likes to our 'alert code' so for me that means that I'm into some sort of sports, I usually stick to the common ones, so Katie doesn't miss judge it." She rolled her eyes and Naomi could imagine that Katie could shoot someone whilst driving at high speeds or run after a suspect in the most ridiculous pair of stilettos and yet not be able to recognise the more obscure sporting names. "Then when we're back we update to our safe code, which for me is always something to do with a love for astronomy."

Naomi nodded as she watched Emily update her likes to 'laying on the beach staring at the stars' "Okay, so how do you contact each other?" she asked. Emily pressed save and then moved to the fake Katie profile and went to send a direct message "Simple we just message each other, keep the messages coded still with those things that only Katie and I know, arrange a place to 'meet' which actually corresponds to a place to leave a message, or a number to call, something like that."

Naomi nodded impressed it was actually a fairly sound plan, she herself had no such network because she didn't mix her worlds quite the same way. She had no one that she ever informed of before she went into a mission, the only time they would know was if they were there with her or they hired her.

Emily finished tapping away as Naomi stared into the swirling liquid in her cup losing herself in her thoughts about what it would be like to have someone that she worked with in this way, what it would be like to have someone worry about her. She had Cook, she had Anthea and even Effy to some extent as they had been working together for some time now but they still didn't have that sort of relationship, if Naomi fell off the grid they wouldn't come looking for her and if she were honest that was exactly the way she liked it.

Tie's bind you, they hold you down and stop you from choosing actions, making decisions, from doing what's right and doing what's necessary.

Emily's voice broke through her thoughts "You want this?" she asked as she clicked off the dating site, Naomi shook her head to indicate that she didn't and drowned the last of her drink before standing "Shall we?" she asked Emily as she pulled her hood back up.

They made the rest of the journey without anymore interruptions, Emily seemed somewhat lighter now that she had her own confirmation that Katie was safe, and there was even a little hint to Effy being safe also as she had changed her relationship status and had made comment to her 'brown haired beauty who always knew what she wanted' it was a smooth move and one that Emily had appreciated, Naomi too not that she had said anything.

"So, any preference on a destination then?" Emily asked as they walked the last bit towards the station. "Bristol." Naomi replied absently as her mind churned through her rough plan. "And what's in Bristol?" Emily asked her own curiosity getting the better of her now. "Someone that owes me a favour." Naomi replied cryptically, not giving away any more because it wasn't necessary, the place they were heading was someone that Naomi knew, someone she had worked with a few months back, someone she had got out of a spot of bother. It was always good to have people in your debt, that way you could always cash in when you were down on your luck.

It was both a brave and a dangerous move, but it was the closest place Naomi had that they could go, and seeing that Emily hadn't voiced any similar plans or protest it seemed the only suitable plan other than stealing their way out of trouble. They needed to get out of sight, lay low and the easiest way to do that was to stay with someone else, that way they had no links and they didn't need any cash. A win, win.

They decided to enter the station separately, the police would be looking for two women travelling together so the easiest way to break up any likely trail was to enter on their own, buy their tickets on their own and wait on the platform on their own, only meeting up when they were safely hidden in the carriages and on their way to Bristol.

Naomi hung back watching Emily enter first as she bummed a fag from a couple of guys outside the station, savouring the first bit of nicotine she'd had since Anthea's arrival at Cooks. Splitting up was possibly over kill but it wouldn't hurt and they were only about five minutes apart anyway so there was no real harm.

Walking out onto the platform Naomi kept Emily in her sights as she leaned against the wall waiting for their train, she noticed Emily stifling another yawn and she felt somewhat guilty. She still didn't remember much of the night before, but she imagined that Emily hadn't gotten a lot of sleep if any, and all they had done was hike around and keep moving all day so far except for their brief stop at the cafe. They had about a ten minute trip and then they had to change trains with about a five minute wait in between where again they would split up and then regroup. After that they had about forty minutes to Bristol, forty minutes were Naomi planned on suggesting that Emily got some sleep.

.

.

Their trip was quiet almost peaceful with no disturbances, Emily had managed to grab a quick nap though it quite literally had been that, Naomi hadn't even needed to suggest it Emily had just settled her head on her shoulder and whether she had meant to or not she had drifted off.

Exiting the train they let themselves get separated in the crowd ever so slightly before they met again outside the station where Naomi guided them the familiar route to their destination. It was one she had travelled many times but not for the same reason she travelled it today, today she walked with a purpose and that purpose was purely to get them somewhere safe where they could rest, sleep and plan their next move.

It seemed to take no time before she was stood outside and knocking on the door. Ironically in contrast it seemed to take ages for the door to open and she was met with the brown pools of her associate. Her arms reached out and wrapped Naomi in a rather friendly hug, so perhaps she was more than _just_ an associate.

"Naomi!" the woman proclaimed excitedly as she rocked Naomi in a hug "Didn't fucking expect to see you babe."

"Hey Spash" Naomi spoke softly as she hugged the slender woman back. "Can we come in?" She asked as she gestured to Emily over her shoulder.

"Shit! Sure, come on in." She exclaimed excitedly as she bounced on the balls of her feet like an excited puppy. Stepping back from the door and allowing the two women to step into her home.

Naomi stepped in and instantly headed into the lounge dropping down onto the sofa with a heavy thud as Emily followed somewhat sheepishly behind her, standing in the doorway feeling awkward, it took Naomi a few moments to find her manners before she introduced them to one another "Emily, this is Jessie, Spash, this is Emily." Emily frowned a little at the fact Naomi had referred to Jessie as 'Spash' which obviously Spash had picked up on as she held her hand out to Emily "Jessica Spencer Ashley at your service, but you can call me Spash, everyone else does" she joked with a flourished bow once she had shook Emily's hand gently. "Now why don't you grab a seat and I'll go get us some drinks."

Emily joined Naomi on the sofa and the two of them sat comfortably in silence as they waited for Spash to return, they could relax, finally safe and finally some place they could crash, get a break. It was refreshing after having spent the last day on the run and out of nowhere Naomi felt the exhaustion set deep into her body as she sat there on the sofa. She slipped her boots off and tucked her feet under her, resting her head in her hands as she leaned heavily on the arm of the chair. She looked over at Emily noticing that she didn't seem to be faring much better, her eyes were heavy and her balled fist rubbing at them constantly.

Spash returned with three bottles of beer in her hands and placed one each in front of Emily and Naomi before taking a seat opposite them. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but to what do I owe the pleasure?" Spash asked as she took a sip from her drink, Naomi reached forward and retrieved her own and took a long swig before she answered "I have a job for you, and I need a favour" she started before taking another swig grateful for the refreshment "You will of course be paid for the job, nothing too complicated I just need you to help me track some people down" she waved a hand to imply it was a walk in the park for Spash. "The favour equally shouldn't be complicated, we need somewhere to crash, just for a while."

Spash picked at the label on her bottle as her posture changed "How deep are you in?" she asked all excitement gone from her voice, replaced with a calculated, even and calm tone "I know you Naomi, you don't call in favours unless you're out of options" Naomi sighed "Deep enough, we had other options but we needed to stay off the radar. You're the perfect choice no one would tie us together, and you owe me." She finished rather commanding yet refraining from being rude or overly bossy and yet she received a snort in reply.

"Can anyone ever tie you to another person? You don't make connections Naomi, you know it, I know it, I bet even Emily here knows it." Spash responded before sinking back into her chair challenging Naomi to contradict her.

"What's your point Spash? You knew what you were getting into, and I don't remember you complaining about my lack of connections when it saved your arse." Naomi's tone turned aggressive, obviously unhappy with where the conversation was heading. Spash held her hands up in defeat not wanting to get into this especially with Emily present. "No fair point, I didn't. You can stay, Emily you too. Anyway I can't very well turf you out, you both look dead on your feet. As for the job I'll think about it, maybe you can fill me in on the details when you're less grumpy smurf and back to being Naomi Campbell." This time it was Naomi's turn to snort as she rolled her eyes.

Spash turned to Emily "Spare room is at the top of the stairs to the right, there's a dresser in there, help yourself to any clothes you need." Naomi looked on as Emily correctly took that as a signal to leave, she didn't waste any time in downing the last of her drink and thanking Spash before heading out the door and upstairs. Naomi watched her sluggish form go and knew she wouldn't be far behind her.

Spash had been right, she was beat and wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep, but luck wasn't on her side as she watched the slender woman across from her stand and sit down next to her, felt her stroke a hand down her face as she stared into Naomi's eyes.

"I've missed you" she whispered to Naomi who leant away from the touch and rubbed her hands across her face before standing.

"I know." She replied sadly before leaving the room and following in Emily's footsteps.

Definitely both a brave and dangerous decision.


	13. Making the Pieces Fit

Naomi watched from the bar, throwing back the last of her drink before wrapping her knuckles on the wood in request for another. She looked across the club at Emily and Spash dancing. They were lazily throwing their arms above their heads, hips swaying to the beat of the current tune that was thumping from the speakers. They looked carefree, relaxed even as they let the alcohol course through their system, take them over. It was a rare moment of reckless abandonment, letting go, living a little following being confined to the same four walls for nearly a week.

Almost one week ago today they had arrived at Spash's and they hadn't left the house until today, until this very moment in the club. Naomi had suggested it, needed an inconspicuous location to meet up with Cook without either of them noticing anything suspicious, well Emily noticing, she still couldn't take the risk that Katie or Effy might have seen him, spoke about the sandy haired guy that had been at the hotel, Emily taking notice of him, tying the pieces together could unravel everything. So naturally she had suggested the club, hadn't needed to convince Emily or Spash, just had to utter the words and they were happily on board the drunken dancing train.

The week had been trying, at first awkward as they settled into a routine, spending the day searching together, as Spash had to agreed to help her track down the kidnappers from the hotel, the promise of a hefty pay out at the end a good incentive for a little keyboard tapping. Naomi hadn't given Spash or Emily the full story of why she wanted the information, had just told them they need to know where they were and left it at that when no questions were asked. Naomi had been clear on one point that she had shared with Spash and Spash alone, that more specifically she wanted the ring leader the guy with the toxin who Emily had informed them was called Andrei Romin, Karlakovs right hand man.

By night the trio spent the evenings together, eating together, doing mundane tasks like cooking and washing up together, even watching whatever rubbish happened to be on the TV together. When they had started feeling human again, they even trained together, although there was little they could do in the confines of a small house. To say cabin fever had started to set in would be an understatement, the only moments of solitude Naomi gained were when she showered and when she went outside for a smoke, but even then she had to endure freezing temperatures to do so.

Being around Emily and Spash for such extended periods of time had proved quite a challenge for different reasons. Emily was a mystery, she wore her emotions like a second skin but still kept a great deal hidden beneath the surface, it was quite frankly fascinating, she was fascinating. Never really gave much away about herself, not voluntarily anyway she was like a puzzle that Naomi was putting together piece by piece with each little bit of information she learned just from watching the smaller woman. As a result the more time she spent with Emily, the more she enjoyed it, the more she wanted, well, _more_ of Emily's time so she could discover where another piece fit in the great puzzle that was Emily Fitch. That was where the challenge lied, spotting those pieces yet at the same time trying to make a conscious effort not to look for them, because if Emily was a drug then Naomi could easily become an addict.

As for Spash, the challenge lied into keeping their relationship strictly professional. Yes there was history there and it wasn't history she regretted just not one she intended on repeating. Spash had been easy to walk away from as far as Naomi was concerned but for Spash it had proved a great deal more difficult. Naomi wasn't a total bitch, didn't intentionally seek out to hurt the woman but at the same time hadn't ever intended for anything more than careless shagging and an opportunity to satisfy a physical need. Spash it seemed had other ideas, more commitment like ideas.

Spending so much time with both women had pushed her towards the edge of her limits, grated on her nerves even and that was what had inspired her to contact Cook, to get something so that she wasn't so dependent on staying hidden anymore, to be more productive in her search rather than just spending day after day scouting as much information about their targets as they could, trying to pre-empt their next move or trying to hack into CCTV feeds and then track them back to a base. It was slow, painful by her standards, she was a patient woman but she had her limits and she needed to speed things up. But to do that, she needed resources, she needed to be able to move, to defend herself to track and physically follow leads and all of that needed money, of which she had none to hand and no way of getting it from her accounts without drawing attention to their location, or potentially leaving a trail. Cook was the perfect choice to deliver something, anything of use ideally all the main things she needed.

She had left a message for Cook, posted to one of their drop boxes in the hope that Cook would at least check it. It wasn't a full proof plan but she was hopeful he would check this particular box on a regular basis, his uncles pub was a regular haunt and Naomi knew despite Keith's faults he was at least someone she could rely on to deliver an envelope addressed to Cook the next time he went in for a pint.

So she suggested the night out, waited at the bar for Cook to arrive, hoping he had indeed got her message as she sipped on her drink watching the two women in her life that were making it difficult, watching them dance, watching them laugh and smile and joke around with each other like they had been all week.

Naomi glanced at her watch, almost twelve, her hope starting to falter that Cook had gotten the message. They had been here two hours and she had expected him to be here by now, felt more than hopeless as she turned and ordered another drink at the bar. That task equally seeming to take forever as her barman for the evening found himself distracted by a rather revealing cleavage that would have given Katie Fitch a run for her money. Finally with her drink in hand she turned back looking to check that Emily and Spash were still there, only to realise that they were no longer visible in the crowd in the same spot she had last seen them.

She felt a rush of adrenaline initially, fear that something had happened and her first reaction was to move to where she had seen them last, search through the crowd. She found herself forcing her way through the dancers packed shoulder to shoulder bouncing to the beat, roughly she shoved them from her path clearing her way through, weaving where she could, forcing where she couldn't. She found Spash chatting to a small brunette near the wall and a wave of relief flooded her senses, if Spash was here safe and sound that probably meant Emily was too, that perhaps she had just gone to the bar and Naomi had missed her.

She grabbed Spash by the shoulder interrupted her conversation, chatting up, whatever it was, she didn't much care. Leaned in close to her ear "Where's Emily?" she spoke loud enough to be heard over the blaring music, Spash didn't bother to voice a reply, just mouthed the word 'toilet' and pointed over Naomi's shoulder to the far side of the room. Naomi felt relieved, knew the toilets were in that direction even without the added hint, berated herself for worrying about nothing as she began to weave her way back to the bar and continue her wait.

Her journey back however was interrupted as she felt a grip around her left upper arm followed by a tug in a different direction, her instincts kicked in and she jammed the heel of her right hand across her body in the direction she was being pulled, connecting solidly with the hard chest of who ever grabbed her.

She heard the grunt even over the loud music in the club followed by a voiced curse "Fuck" instantly familiar.

Raising her eyes and relaxing her stance she was met with the familiar cocky smile of Cook as she rubbed at his chest. "Still pack a real punch there blondie. Remind me not to piss you off." Instantly she smiled and let him wrap his arms around her, didn't even try to protest until he momentarily lifted her off her feet.

"Get off me you wanker, lucky I didn't kick you in the balls." She shouted in his ear before hearing Cooks laugh echo above the music, he gave his trademark cocky grin and dragged her towards the bar.

"So what the fuck happened then?" he asked his voice lower now they could hear each other a little better.

Naomi turned back to the bar, not looking him in the eye as she replied "Didn't quite go to plan, that's what happened. Doesn't matter now though, what you got for me?"

"Always after the Cookie monsters goods ay?" he joked "I might have a little treat for you, gonna cost you though blondie I'm not a charity sweet cheeks."

Naomi rolled her eyes "Dare I ask what the price is?"

Cook just grinned as he pointed to the bar where Naomi saw a row of shots lined up, should have guessed as much, Cook never could resist, even if they were meeting for business rather than pleasure. Never seemed to do either without his customary row of shots, always one to blur the line.

"And if I refuse to do them, then what?" Naomi asked more to wind Cook up than actually find a way out of doing the shots.

"No shots, No goods, that's the deal. Now..." he pushed the first shot towards her and Naomi couldn't help but smile back as she reached for it. She tipped it back, felt the burn but pushed it aside as she reached for the next shot, then the next and the next until the row was gone and there stood a bar of empty upside down shot glasses. Cook howled and Naomi found herself laughing at his childish antics.

"So I did the shots, now you show me the goods" Naomi asked cheekily fully intending the double meaning of her comment though not actually wanting to see Cooks goods...Again. She had already seen them enough for a lifetime. He knew that too as he chuckled before pulling from his pocket a key and a phone.

He waved the phone in the air before slapping it in her outstretched palm "Gay-Jay's creation, apparently untraceable so don't go losing that one, already put my number in, just encase...you know" he waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively which resulted in the traditional Campbell eye roll. Slipping the phone into her pocket she reached her hand out for the key which he handed over without question. "Locker at the station, you'll find some cash a new ID and a little gift from the Cookie monster." She nodded her thanks and slipped the key into her other pocket before signalling the bartender for another drink for them both. "Thanks Cook, I owe you."

"Bet that cute arse of yours you do, payment in sexual favours is accepted" he winked before chuckling once more at his own joke.

They chatted casually at the bar, Naomi finding out what had happened with Cook and Anthea at the hotel. Amazingly they had managed to stay out of site or at least as far as they were aware, which was a blessing. They had taken the teams out from the rear, out of Katie and Effy's line of sight and of course then had the head start on clearing out the building when the last of the targets was eliminated making a pit stop to grab the tapes like Naomi had ordered, removing all possible evidence of their presence. Naomi had to hand it to Cook, she may joke with him about being a cocky twat but truth of the matter was that he was a very skilled individual someone she would happily stand back to back with in a difficult situation. Would never have imagined that the fateful day he had ripped a painting from the wall would have lead to someone she could trust.

"Fuck yeah that's hot" his brash voice cut through her thoughts as his eyes sparkled with excitement, she'd seen that look before, clearly Cook had spotted a woman, kissing or dancing suggestively with another woman, something like that. No other activity ever evoked such a reaction from Cook, ever since he had found out that Naomi had a thing for the fairer sex he'd always took pleasure in watching her at work seducing the occasional woman in a pub, club or even on a job. Often found him egging her on with rather crude hip thrusting actions or waggling his tongue at her in a revoltingly graphic way.

"Seriously blondie, you've got to see this, hot doesn't even cover it." He joked as he grabbed Naomi and span her around to face the same way he was. Naomi's eyes found the pair instantly, or the back of one anyway - a blonde - the other woman seemed to be pressed against the wall held in place by a well placed thigh as they kissed rather passionately for such a public place. She could understand why Cook found it hot, and he wasn't the only one either there appeared to be more than a couple of observers quite obviously gawping at the pair in action.

Naomi snorted leaned up on her tip toes to Cooks ear. "Someone needs to tell them to get a room."

He wrapped his arms around Naomi's waist and leaned down "They don't need to get one, the Cookie monsters open minded and generous I don't mind sharing."

Naomi almost laughed, hadn't been surprised at the comment, almost expected it from Cook but her laughter died in her throat. She watched as the leading woman moved her lips from the wanting mouth to a waiting neck following a trail to an exposed collar bone and Naomi finally saw the second player in the game of tonsil hockey.

Emily Fitch.

Emily whose head was thrown back, her pale neck exposed a willing platter for a feast. Emily who was pinned to the wall by the blonde haired skank, held firm by a thigh and a hand on her hip as her own hands tangled in the blonde locks. Emily whose actions drove a syringe of adrenaline into her system as her anger spiked, caused her heart rate to increase, light a fire in her chest.

So much for staying inconspicuous, for staying out of trouble because seriously ten more minutes and they may as well be fucking where they stood. What a way to _not_ get yourself noticed she thought.

Naomi seethed watching them for a moment, fucking Emily Fitch. Without wanting to she had learned another piece of the puzzle, had learned that Emily was apparently a rather sexual creature if the way she was reacting was anything to go by. Learnt that Emily was definitely not as shy as she had initially come across the first time they met, although she had already discovered that if she really considered it.

"Shit. Isn't that one of your lot blondie? She looks familiar..." Cook asked as he continued watching the pair. He'd apparently spent the last few moments trying to place her in Naomi's silence and then it clicked, she'd been at the exchange, she was one of the twins, presumably the twin Naomi had gone after and it made sense if they were still together on the run.

Naomi nodded "Yeah it is, fucking making a right scene too" her voice cold a complete contrast to the fire fuelling her anger.

"Least it's a scene worth watching." Cook joked, but realised he had probably over stepped the mark when he received a stern look in return.

"Do me a favour, go distract the blonde skank so we can get out of here before she draws any more attention." He nodded and pressed a kiss to her cheek before wrapping an arm around her shoulder "Don't be a stranger bitch. You know where I am if you need me."

She nodded in return gave him a tight smile "Thanks again. I owe you."

"Not a problem beautiful, I love it when you owe me" he finished with a cheeky grin before sauntering off to break up the spectacle unfolding. Naomi watched him dance his way up to them, wrap his arms around the blonde pinning Emily to the wall began kissing her neck for a while. Taking control before he picked her up and pulled her away from Emily who was apparently so out of it she didn't really notice, just stayed her back against the wall. It took a moment for her eyes to finally open, look forward confused.

Naomi watched Emily's face as she swept her gaze left and right across the crowd before they settled on her own blue eyes that were already fixated on her. Smiled at Naomi, initially but her smile faltered when it received no response.

Naomi wasted no time in walking to Emily now she was free, wanting to get there before Cooks distraction failed. "What the fuck are you playing at Emily?" she asked angrily, not hiding one iota of venom in her voice, watched as Emily looked into her eyes confused still and realised that Emily clearly wasn't herself. Her warm brown pools missing and in their place she saw almost pure darkness, her pupils almost completely drowning out the iris.

"Fuck sake Em, what did you take?" she asked her anger fading a little but still present, knew Emily had drank rather a lot but didn't know she'd taken something else too. She watched Emily frown "Take what?" she slurred before giggling a little "Take that?" she giggled again "Katie fucking loved them." Naomi watched in disbelief as Emily raised her arms in the air swaying to music that apparently only she could hear, because it certainly wasn't in rhythm to the music playing in the club.

Stood stock still watching as Emily looped her hands around her neck and continued moving but this time much closer to the blonde whose own eyes widened in shock. She placed her hands on Emily's hips to stop her, but apparently this did nothing but spur Emily on as she moved closer pressing her body fully against Naomi's. She felt Emily's hands play with the hair at the nape of her neck, felt Emily move closer until Emily's head was buried in the crook of her neck. She was frozen, stood stock still her anger forgotten her body statue like.

Time had no meaning as she stood there with Emily's body against her own, hot breaths on her neck, hips swaying creating friction against her own. It felt almost dreamlike, that was until she felt warm lips pressed against the soft skin of her neck, nipping gently followed by a wet tongue snaking out to taste her before the nipping continued, more forceful moving its way up, almost reaching her jaw line before she felt overwhelmed, before she couldn't take anymore. She grabbed harder on Emily's hips pushing her away, rousing her from her actions. Emily stumbled backwards a little and giggled as her hips were held firmer still.

Naomi took the scene before her in, Emily was out of it, completely gone and she realised that was their cue to leave. Wrapped her arm around the tiny waist and began guiding her towards where she had last left Spash, felt Emily wrap an arm around her, mirroring her action except she added more giggling and less coordination. She found Spash who handed her keys over at the sight of Emily, gave her own chuckle before telling them to go on without her.

Naomi didn't argue or question, just took the keys and lead the uncoordinated Fitch towards the exit. Hailed a cab, shoved Emily in before following her, laughed as Emily decided now she was tired, resting her head on Naomi's shoulder, closed her eyes. The trip was short and silent which was a relief except now Naomi found herself helping Emily up the steps and though the door, Emily all the while still giggling slightly in between loud yawns.

"Come on sleepy" she cooed as she directed Emily towards the stairs, her anger completely gone now though she made a mental note to find out what it was Emily had been stupid enough to take to leave her in this state.

"Mmm sleepy" Emily mumbled as she crawled up the stairs on her hands and knees, Naomi rolling her eyes, such a terrible drunk, wondered idly if this was what Katie was like, thought of Effy and smirked. They were staying together for safety seeing as Emily wasn't there.

She left Emily climbing the stairs at snail pace and instead wandered into the kitchen to grab a couple of glasses of water before following the same path.

In the bedroom she was met with what had become a familiar scene over the last few days, Emily curled up on her side of the bed her hair messily sprawled across the pillow. She found herself smiling as she placed the glass on the bedside table letting Emily know it was there. Received a hummed reply and took that as confirmation she had understood before walking to the other side of the room, stripping down to her underwear before slipping into bed. The sleeping arrangements hadn't been ideal but they weren't staying in a mansion and short of one of them sleeping on the floor this was the only other option.

She settled down onto the pillow before reaching over and flicking the light off. Laying on her side she stared at the wall as she planned her next move, a couple of days ago they had found a lead but nothing had really became apparent from their electronic searches, one of the guys that had been killed at the hotel had turned up dumped, they had an identity a starting point to follow the lead and now she had the ability to follow it. Naomi smiled, she was tired of waiting now was the time for action.

She felt the bed shift as Emily chugged down some water, thought for certain Emily was going to feel like shit tomorrow, almost found herself laughing until she felt that warm body against hers again, hot breath on the back of her neck, snuggling in. "Night Naomes" she heard Emily mutter sleepily.

As she muttered her own reply a coy smile materialised on her face as an arm draped over her stomach pulling her closer. She felt another piece of the puzzle slip into place, drunken Emily was quite amusing, and apparently she liked to cuddle, but at the same time she felt her own piece of puzzle fit because in that moment, happy and tingly with a warmth settling deep in her stomach it occurred to her she wasn't pushing Emily away, wasn't getting up and going to sleep on the couch. She enjoyed this moment, and it scared the living shit out of her.


	14. Now we wait

**I know it's been a while, I hit a bit of a mental block on this one, saw something the other day that gave me a little bit of inspiration and this is the result. Here's to hoping it doesn't disappoint and a massive thanks to those that review / alert / favourite. It really does make my day **

**Skins isn't mine...yada yada yada**

* * *

Cracking an eye open she turned to the red digits on the clock next to her, groaning as they read five forty am. Closing her eyes again she silently debated her options as she listened to the soft snoring, felt the warmth from the woman next to her. Emily it seemed had wriggled her way further and further across the bed until she had more than her fair share, Naomi moving inch for inch in her sleep until she woke hanging on the edge.

She had two main options, stay in bed and try and get a few more hours or get up and do something useful. One option appealed but she didn't think it would happen, it seemed pointless in laying here listening to the soft snores and winding herself up at her lacking ability in returning to dream land. So she took the obvious option available to her and slipped out the bed stretching, hearing the loud pops and cracks as she rolled her neck from left to right and back again releasing the tension held there. She stared at the bed, at the small form nestled comfortably in the covers, barely visible but clear enough. Lying on her front, face to the side her hair splayed across the pillow. Peaceful.

Naomi smiled to herself remembering drunken and high Emily and her amusing actions before beginning her search, fumbling around the floor for her clothes. She found her jeans from the night before and slipped them up her legs not bothering to fasten them but instead resuming her search for the remaining items needed. A few more minutes and she found a hoodie, didn't know who it belonged to but decided it was good enough, held it tightly in her grasp and walked out the bedroom pulling the door shut behind her and padding softly to the bathroom.

She used the bathroom quickly before she finished dressing, pulling the hoodie over her bra clad form and fastening her jeans before she left and headed downstairs. The house was eerily quiet, dark and cold but it was oddly pleasant allowed her time to wake fully, gather her thoughts.

Reaching a hand in her pocket she pulled the items out that were stowed there. Firstly she turned the key in her hands – locker 47 – she was curious as to what exactly Cook had left her, especially what his little gift was but didn't let the thought dwell. Next she grabbed the phone and slid her finger across the screen to unlock it. She frowned as the words 'Enter Passcode' appeared. She didn't recall Cook telling her a passcode, wondered absently if the code was somewhere in the locker. Instead stowed it back safely in her pocket with the key, before pulling her socks and boots on as well as a stolen jacket from Spash and starting the cold walk to the station.

A few minutes in and she already felt the cold nipping at her exposed flesh, she pulled her hood up hoping for the additional protection it provided and also aided the benefit of hiding her blonde locks as she marched to her destination, a woman on a mission. She sparked up, inhaled deeply despite the cold biting at her lungs, stealing her breath but it was worth it for the nicotine that coursed through her system, missed and cherished as her mind focused on the task ahead, building possible plans based on what she thought Cook may have provided. All fairly pointless actions until she knew exactly what items she had at her disposal. She absently flicked the butt from her cigarette into the road before dipping her head down against the cold and pushed on forwards in the dark to her destination.

A short while later windswept and cold she found herself at the station, deserted at the early hour but grateful for the fact it was at least open. Glancing around checking for danger she steeled herself in the knowledge that no one would expect her here this early and headed for the lockers tapping her fingers against them as she counted down forty three...forty four...forty five...forty six...before finally reaching locker forty seven. She looked again subtly to her left and right as she slipped her hand into her pocket and retrieved the warm metal that had been heated by her own body heat, sliding it into the lock and wrenching the door open to find a black rucksack inside.

Reaching a hand in she received the bag lifting it gently to check the weight before she dragged it all the way out. It wasn't too heavy lighter than she was expecting, maybe even hoping. She decided to wipe her prints with her sleeve from the key and locker handle as subtly as she could before heading back out the way she had entered.

Finding a wall to rest against a few minutes walk from the station she lit another cigarette and took a quick look inside the rucksack, pushing the many items around mentally cataloguing what she found. There wasn't a great deal, some cash and a couple of discs, an envelope with Cooks handwriting on the front a simple scrawl of 'Blondie' in black on the white paper. She shouldered the bag and pushed on eager to keep moving to stay warm.

.

.

Naomi sat at the kitchen table as she scanned her eyes across the note left by Cook.

'This is all you need sweet cheeks.

Address is in a note on Gay-Jay's gadget.

Knock em dead.'

Even in written form Cook made her smile, his blunt and to the point note however held no hints as to the passcode for the phone. She pushed the note aside and started to pull the other items from the bag. A stack of cash - about seven thousand - in neat bundles, a couple of knives and a glock with 3 mags already loaded lying in the bag as well as the discs and a bag of white powder which had caused Naomi to laughed aloud.

She picked up the knives and turned them in her hands, one a standard hand dagger ideal for throwing at assailants as well as hand to hand combat and the second a butterfly knife which she flipped open and closed a couple of times before settling it back down on the table. She next moved to the glock, picking up one of the mags sliding it in before pulling the slide. She released the safety on and off just to make sure it was fully operational having no doubt but checking regardless just going through the motions.

She turned her attention back to the letter, key and phone, the three most important items and yet the ones that her mind still hadn't quite made the connection on. She read the note again not gaining any more information than she had the first time and instead focused on the phone.

She needed a passcode something that Cook would have picked that should seemingly be obvious to her. Knowing she had at least 9 attempts before the phone wiped itself she slid her finger across and unlocked the screen. Attempts one through five were failures, it wasn't the year they were born or Cook's name, nor was it seven thousand in relation to the cash or 4747 related to the locker key she had even tried the word 'fuck' and 'tits' thinking in the warped version of Cooks mind may think she would make that sort of filthy connection but all were useless.

Huffing she slammed the phone on the table and moved to sit on counter top as she flicked the switch on the kettle. She threw her eyes out aimlessly into the garden, not focusing on anything just purely lost in thought until she heard the sound of someone descending the stairs and kept half an eye on the doorway watching as Emily staggered in looking a little worse for wear.

The room was silent except for the rumble of the kettle and a loud click signalling its completion. "Tea?" She asked as she turned to face the rather dishevelled woman receiving a grunted reply from Emily who had already settled herself at the kitchen table in the very same seat she had been in.

Placing the cup down in front of Emily she took the seat opposite, pulling the phone towards her and sipping on her tea as she stared at the locked screen.

"Thanks" Emily muttered before pulling her drink close "Where'd all this come from?" She asked before taking a sip.

"A friend." Naomi replied distantly her focus still on the item before her as she tried another four digit combination chewing her lip in concentration.

"Quite the friend" Emily noted as she rifled through the items finally settling on the white powder. Naomi lifted her eyes as Emily opened the bag "Is this what I think it is?" she asked.

Naomi cocked an eyebrow, she watched mesmerised as Emily licked a finger and collected some powder on the tip before sucking on the digit, humming around it before removing it with a pop. "Coke?" She asked somewhat amused and a little confused. Naomi nodded and laughed until a light bulb went off in her brain, she slid the unlock bar across and punched in 2653 representing the 4 digits and grinned as the phone transitioned into the familiar iPhone screen. She moved into the notes folder and found the address noting it wasn't too far and smiled to herself before raising her gaze to that of inquisitive brown eyes. "Up for a little excursion today?" She asked as she reached for the items and started to place them back in the backpack whilst Emily nodded in agreement.

"Good stuff, half hour?" Another nod in reply as she rose from the table taking her drink and phone with her. "Oh, and Ems...shower 'cause you smell of something and it sure as hell ain't roses."

.

.

Showered refreshed and eager to make some headway into their investigations of finding Nox Naomi and Emily found themselves outside a storage locker on the outskirts of Bristol. A bus and a short walk was all it had taken to get there with little effort and Naomi found herself excited at what lay behind the door. She slid the key into the lock and turned the key listening to the mechanism click before pushing the door open and stepping inside apprehensively, comforted by the glock safely hidden in Emily's jacket pocket, her finger primed and ready on the trigger, safety off just encase.

She reached her hand out flicking the light switch on and her eyes sparkled in appreciation. All around the walls carefully organised were weapon upon weapon awaiting their opportunity for combat.

"Jesus..." she heard Emily voice behind her as she moved further in, a whistle sounded "Quite the arsenal in here. Who did you say set this up?" Emily asked.

"I didn't..." Naomi replied somewhat defensively. "Should certainly give us an upper hand though." She walked around looking at the items resting securely on the walls from sniper and combat assault rifles to handguns, close combat weapons and even a katana.

She placed her rucksack on the table in the centre of the room and shut the door locking it from the inside whilst Emily picked up a netbook that rested on top of a cupboard, she settled at the table powering it up.

"So where do we start?" Emily asked as she waited for Naomi to join her. "We start here" Naomi informed her as she removed a disc from the backpack. Cook had left another note on the phone which Naomi had read whilst Emily showered, contained on the discs had been the footage from the hotel, edited by JJ so neither Cook nor Anthea were present, but all other data was left untouched essentially. Naomi had left a copy with Spash to begin searching and tracking down identities, addresses and any information she could find. It was what she done best, what Naomi was paying her for, what she had gone to her for as well as a place to crash.

Naomi watched over Emily's shoulder as the smaller woman attacked the keyboard with determination freezing the footage on clear pictures and running them through a facial recognition database she had hacked into. Spash would be doing the same but they had nothing better to do, Naomi's original plan of hitting the home of the dead Nox member had been trashed as they had watched the apartment ablaze on the morning news.

They were back to square one, but with JJ's and Cooks help they were securely back on track and beginning to make real progress as Emily matched a couple of identities and scribbled their names down. Naomi decided to make herself useful, instead grabbed a duffle bag and stowed a wide range of weapons and ammunition inside as well as retrieving a sniper rifle and disassembling it before stowing it in the specially designed case.

She grabbed a vest and slipped it on under her own jacket before placing one on the table for Emily and then began her search through the cupboard to see what else was present. She found a couple of radio's, nothing of the calibre that they had at Vendetta, but they would certainly achieve the same results and a couple of earpieces and mikes that clipped to your sleeve similar to that worn by bouncers on club doors were certainly a further improvement. She found some surveillance gear, a couple of wireless cameras and microphones as well as a pair of binoculars, some GPRS trackers as well throwing them all in the bag.

Finally she found a box mounted on the wall with four keys hanging inside. She pulled them out one at a time reading the tag which related to the model of the vehicle, selecting the keys for an Audi before she shut the box the car key held firm in her grasp.

"How you doing there Em's, got anything yet?" She asked having finished her preparation and now just eager to get some concrete results.

"Almost, just a few seconds longer and..." Emily trailed off for a moment as her fingers flew across the keyboard before her... "Got it." She grinned as she held the paper up to Naomi apparently more than chuffed with her handiwork.

"Shall we?" She held her arm out towards the door as she grinned back at Emily finally satisfied to be doing something other than just waiting around. She watched as Emily slipped the vest on under her jacket and tucked the netbook in the rucksack Naomi had left on the table as well as the power cable before leading the way out the lock up.

They found the car with little effort, parked inconspicuously near the entrance about thirty foot away. "So...Where to m'lady?" Naomi asked as she slipped in the driver's seat after stowing her weapons in the boot, taking a handgun out for good measure.

"To Slough we go" Emily smirked as she slipped in next to Naomi the rucksack between her feet as she buckled her seat belt and pulled the laptop out, opening up and setting to work. Naomi watched her log onto her dating site as she turned the engine over, made a mental note to check it out at some point but instead focused her attention on the wheel and set out.

They travelled in silence except for the voice of the latest radio presenter babbling on about crap in between the few songs played. Every now and again Emily fiddled with the radio, changing the station but in her opinion they were all as bad as one another, she made a mental note to load some tunes on her phone so she could plug it into the aux cable next time rather than listen to this rubbish.

Shortly after passing a sign which informed them they had approximately 30 miles until they reached their destination Emily piped up. "I think I found us a good place to surveil from..." Naomi looked over as Emily trailed off not pushing her to continue but rather waiting patiently. "There's a block of flats opposite...one here for let..." She pointed to the screen, not that Naomi could really see it. "It looks like a good location."

"Lets check it out then" Naomi replied with a grin as she pressed her foot down a little harder on the accelerator.

"So what's the plan then?" Emily asked as she shut the netbooks lid.

"Plan? Who said anything about having a plan..."

"Oh..." Emily replied her shock evident. "I assumed you had a plan..I mean...you-"

Naomi interrupted her "Well I have a half plan, figured we would roll with this one a bit...it's the only lead we have right now. We surveil. Find out what we can, what we're up against and then we plan. That's the plan, the half plan that is..."

"Okay" Emily replied her gaze set forward.

"Okay?" Naomi asked a little unsure.

"Yeah, okay. We'll go with the half plan. It's better than no plan." She replied as she settled back resting her feet on the dash and turned the volume up on the radio. "Better than sitting still twiddling my thumbs."

She grinned "I like the way you think Fitch."

.

.

Naomi stared out the window at the building across from her, counting the windows four floors down...third window from the left...their target. Successful in their endeavour they had indeed let the property in the building opposite, paying for 2 months upfront in cash under false names of course, not that they questioned anything when they had offered cash payments. It was a seedy place, rough around the edges and not the sort of place she would ever consider living but that's just what made it more perfect, unsuspected.

"Cameras set up in the hall" Emily voiced as she joined Naomi by the window. A precaution they had decided upon, a camera on their own hallway to give them at least the ability to prepare themselves should things go pear shaped, not that they were expecting it.

"Anything?" Emily asked as she followed Naomi's visual path, four down, three across...

"No, nothing I've seen the lights come on and off so he's home. Lets settle in we can follow him tomorrow, see where he goes."

"Sounds like a plan, a real plan not a half plan some idiot bumbled together at short notice." Emily finished with a light shove to Naomi's shoulder a devilish glint in her brown pools. "So food?" She clapped her hands together "I'm starved all we had was that crappy sandwich from the petrol station and this girl, she needs to eat!"

"Well I suggest you go shop, or get take out because this girl, she's tired...because _someone_ hogged the bed all night, _someone_ who was high as a kite I might add" Naomi turned her blue eyes on Emily and noticed that she at least had the decency to shrug guiltily.

"Right shopping gotcha, anything you fancy?" Naomi shook her head and pulled up a chair to the window taking a seat resting her feet on the sill as she placed the netbook on her lap.

"Right well I'll be back with supplies then."

Naomi waved over her shoulder and heard the rustle of keys on the kitchen counter followed by the slam of the door. She pulled the internet up logging into the wireless dongle that Cook or more likely JJ had left in the laptop. First off she logged into her msn account the one she reserved purely for her double life as it were, that being the life Emily didn't know about. She spotted no one online and minimised the screen, leaving it logged in still though.

Next she moved her attention to the Emily's dating site, pulling her profile up noting the changes she had made. Smiling at the comment which read 'Moving to a new city for a job, glad to be back in the employment game' she saw a second update more recent 'The stars are looking amazing here, gazing shall be done' her smile grew wider as she laughed at the ingenious code the twins had developed.

Naomi scrolled looking at the other updates and public messages left, some from people who said Emily looked gorgeous and would she like to meet up for a drink, she rolled her eyes and laughed at the situation, they would certainly have a shock if Emily had replied agreeing and someone entirely different to her photo arrived. Though undoubtedly in Naomi's opinion they would certainly be trading up.

She moved on to Katie's profile noticing all the comments about buying a new pair of shoes and shook her head, so Katie like, that had to be her safe code. Naomi didn't find Katie's profile anywhere near as interesting though it certainly was amusing to see the offers Katie received and her rather harsh and blunt not to mention public rejections. She certainly didn't beat around the bush when it came to letting them down.

She closed the page and opened the files from the disc, watching the whole attack all the way though, it was odd seeing it again especially from a different vantage point. She watched Emily's fight having caught very little of it thanks to being pre-occupied with her own. She was a curious creature, a small threat to look at but she certainly held her own, had certainly been fighting for some time before Naomi had turned up as it was. Pushing on forward she watched what happened after she had been knocked unconscious, mentally scalding herself in the process for forgetting about that last attacker, watching as they dragged her body with little care or regard into the boot before rather forcefully shoving Emily into the mix. When they slammed the boot shut she paused taking note of the car registration before closing the file down.

Her fingers flew across the keys in a frenzy as she tracked down the owner of the vehicle and everything she could find out about them until a flash in the bottom left hand corner caught her eyes.

What's all this fuckery says: Thought I trained you better than that?

Blonde bitch is back says: You did, things didn't quite go to plan

What's all this fuckery says: No I could see that, saw the footage, you alone?

Blonde bitch is back says: Indeed

Naomi heard a ringing on the countertop and walked across to retrieve her phone. She smirked picking it up and hitting accept.

"To what do I owe the pleasure" Naomi spoke as she walked back across to the window settling back in her seat.

"Oh you know thought I'd check in make sure you weren't replying to me at gun point"

"On a phone Cook gave me only yesterday?"

"Yes well you've already demonstrated your adept skill at getting caught, didn't think I should risk it"

"Har-Fucking-Har"

"Couldn't help myself darling, you know how it is. So what are you doing in Slough?"

Naomi paused "I thought this phone was untraceable?"

"It is, to everyone that doesn't have that wonderful boy's encryption key. Strange one that JJ but he certainly has a talent for all that technology shit. So...Slough?"

"We tracked one of the Nox team down" Naomi replied absently as she picked the netbook up and started shutting down the pages she had been on, wiping the history as well as logging out of messenger, still leaving the computer on, the image showing that of the hall outside the flat.

"Good luck with that, it seems they take a lot of persuasion to talk."

"Sounds as though you've had some more experience."

"A little, I have your gift back by the way, try not to be so careless with it next time."

Naomi rolled her eyes at the bored tone Anthea had used. "Certainly, and the interim owner, how are they fairing? Provide you with anything useful?"

"Very little, especially considering I can't speak to the dead despite my many skills."

"I see, shame. I take it you have kept an eye on Effy?"

"I may have, she and that Katie girl are staying together they have their own Vendetta guard it's quite amusing considering that they are about as useful as a chocolate tea pot. I assume you are still with the other twin?"

"Yeah"

"And you have a plan?"

"A half plan, I'm working on it"

"Good, I have some information you might find useful, I'll drop it by, inconspicuously of course"

"Great." Naomi watched the screen before her, saw Emily on her way "Listen I've got to go."

"Stay safe Naomi, I don't want to have to take time of my busy schedule to save your ass."

"Will do my best, wouldn't want to interrupt that."

She didn't say goodbye, didn't even acknowledge the end of the call just hung up and hastily shoved the phone in her pocket as she heard the key enter the door lock, followed by the rustle of carrier bags being placed on the floor.

"I hate shopping, next time it's your turn." Emily grumbled as she slammed the door in frustration.

"Someone's a little tetchy, do I detect shopper rage?" Naomi tried to hide the smugness in her voice, failed miserably.

"Yeah well you'd be tetchy too if you had some obnoxious bitch shout at you because _her _son rammed _his_ trolley into _my _heels! Like it was all my fault. Fucking cow."

Naomi laughed aloud at the look of fury on Emily's face all over a little shopping. Decided to help put the items away in the cupboards before Emily started throwing them at her in temper.

"I thought you were getting supplies?" She asked as she rummaged in the bags.

"I did get supplies."

Naomi held up a bottle of vodka, raised her eyebrow in question.

"What? Vodka's a supply...You'll be thanking me later, mark my words Campbell."

Naomi laughed that was until she saw Emily pull two boxes of hair dye from the last bag. "What exactly are they for?"

"Figured if we're going to be following them, it might be better to change something about ourselves, a little bit of a disguise" She held one out to Naomi "I got you this one" Naomi wrinkled her nose at the red on the box and spied the peroxide blonde still placed in front of Emily. She reached across and swiped the blonde box. "Tell you what, I'll take this one and you knock yourself out with the red...Think I'll be having the vodka now too."

Naomi walked back over to her chair, cracking the seal on the vodka as she went taking a swig once seated. She rested the bottle in her lap staring at the building across from her as another chair appeared at her side before the bottle was snatched from her hands, she heard the liquid swish around as Emily took her own swig.

"So...now we wait?" Emily asked passing the bottle back.

"Now we wait."


	15. One Life for Many

**For those of you that play the Buffy game, there is a quote in here, slightly altered but close enough to be recognisable (I think so anyway). **

**So I floundered a bit with this chapter, which is partly the reason as to why it took so long but excuses over I'm hoping I got it right. It feels right in my head, or close enough at least but I'm a biased judge so I'll let you all make your own decisions.**

**Skins isn't mine...yada yada yada**

**.**

.

Naomi heard the door slam as Emily stormed in, not surprised as her eyes had been following her on the monitor, it didn't take a genius to correctly identify hurricane Fitch was close to blowing into town. The sway of her arms aggressive, her usual gracefulness replaced with what she presumed to be thudding boots on the corridor floor, bordering on tantrum territory.

"Fucking waste of time" Emily muttered still snug in her warm jacket as she flopped down on the sorry excuse for a couch they had, she pushed her hood off and rubbed at her face, trying to get some warmth back.

"Productive day then?" Naomi questioned with a smug expression, knowing the answer but enjoying the opportunity to wind Emily up as she tried not to laugh at her red button nose. They had decided to take 'cock watch' - as they has so appropriately named it - in turns after the few watches had been rather fruitless and quite frankly boring.

"About as productive as watching paint dry. I'm starting to wonder if we've got the right guy, if I hadn't found him myself I'd certainly be questioning it."

"You said it Em, I've wondered the same. We aren't getting anything following him. I was thinking, maybe we need to get a bit closer..."

Emily sat up her interest piqued by Naomi's comment "Closer how...?"

"Closer like bug his home rather than just watching from this vantage point and following him around like lost sheep."

Emily hummed "Hmmm...We could, we would have to be certain he wasn't home and wasn't coming back to catch us in the act..."

Naomi sat looking at the screen before her, a hint of a satisfied smirk on her face "What exactly are you smirking at?" Emily asked as she watched Naomi's blue eyes stare at her as her expression remained satisfied. "Naoms...?" She questioned when she received no response to her original question.

"Well I _may_ have been more productive than you recently and I _may _have gotten us a little more information."

Emily frowned a little "Did you break into his apartment?" Outright asking the blonde. No hesitation. No holding back.

"No..." Naomi spoke with a grin on her face not even bothering to hide the lie.

"Is that 'No' spelt Y-E-S?"

"M-A-Y-B-E" Naomi spelt out, her smile now in full on smug beaming mode.

Emily stood from the couch and walked over to Naomi and punched her in the arm playfully "Unbelievable...One of these days you're going to get in trouble and I'm not going to come and save you."

Naomi feigned shock and hurt "Excuse me, I believe that you were the one in trouble that I came to rescue...twice I might add."

"And how exactly did that work out for you Naoms? Complete success was it?" Emily teased.

"Totally" Naomi voiced with confidence before muttering "Up until it wasn't..."

Emily laughed causing Naomi to scowl, she had watched the footage over and over again, understood why she hadn't seen the last assailant as he had been hiding like a coward in a doorway but it didn't excuse the fact Naomi had lost track of him.

Emily picked up on the mood shift, she had spent so much time with Naomi now that it was entirely possible for both to pick up on the little nuances, the mannerisms and actions that told more than words could, she had recognised that change of subject was in order.

"So I assume you found something better than following this loser around?"

She nodded "I picked up this conversation..." Naomi hit play on a file saved to the computer.

'Yeah heard she's meeting Katrina Haste at that new club, Paradox-' Naomi hit pause not letting the audio continue any further.

"Haste...Haste..." Emily repeated thinking aloud "Where do I know that name from?"

"I recognised it too. So I did a little digging...She's on Vendetta's watch list" Naomi tapped a few more keys pulled up an image of a slender woman dark hair, green eyes..."Look familiar?"

Emily stared at the image, her face not displaying any of the anger that burned beneath, she knew that face, the name now registered as an alias. Hayley Graves was her real name or at least what they presumed to be her real name, a mercenary responsible for the death of seven agents in Monaco. A double cross that should have been an easy win-win, a simple trade of captives, but had instead resulted in an all out bloodbath where only three people had walked away with a pulse, and one of those was only barely beating. All because Graves couldn't resist lining her own pockets with notes stained in the blood of her comrades.

"Graves..." Emily finally voiced aloud as she turned towards the window staring out to the window of their target...Four down...three across.

"Graves..." Naomi repeated "Even I heard about her and I wasn't even on Vendettas grid then..." She trailed off "So...Fancy a little club action? Got to be better than watching paint dry." Emily nodded. "Excellent, oh and Ems try and lay off the drugs this time yeah?" She added with a wink to try and lighten the sombre mood.

"Only if you try and lay off getting caught." Naomi rolled her eyes as she watched Emily walk away before turning her focus back to the machine before her.

.

.

Naomi packed up everything they owned with Emily's help, loading it in the boot of the Audi before heading North opting for rather more luxury accommodation than the dingy flat they had been staying in. A quick stop along the way at one of Naomi's drop boxes had lead to the collection of another bundle of cash, a phone for Emily as well as a couple of things Naomi had specifically asked them to deliver, a set of keys to one of her own places that she hadn't used for years as well as a credit card in a new alias for emergencies.

A second stop en route purely for shopping purposes had left both women laden with a suitcase each of clothes and accessories as well as everything one needed to live comfortably. Now money wasn't an issue and they were all geared up with weapons and a comfortable place to stay things were looking up.

Naomi sat in their hotel, looking across the city browsing through the surveillance footage from Slough. A decision already taken to leave the camera and bug placed in the apartment in the hope it could lead to something despite the fact there had been little development so far.

"Anything?" Emily asked as she towel dried her hair padding softly into the room her bare feet nestled comfortably in the thick carpet.

Naomi stared outright at the smaller now redheaded woman before her. "Naoms...?" Emily prompted "Everything alright there?"

"What...yeah...sorry. Your hair...you dyed it...I didn't think you were going to?" Naomi asked as she placed the laptop on the floor and walked towards Emily.

"I wasn't but that was before I knew about Graves, she hasn't met me but she wont be looking for a blonde and a redhead it made a convincing argument to make a change...Plus I kind of like it. Does it suit me?"

_Boy does it_ Naomi thought as she took the towel from Emily and trailed her fingers through the red locks, it was a bold statement yet not outrageously so. "Definitely suits you, but I think it's probably the worst disguise ever."

Emily turned to face the blonde her brow wrinkled in confusion "How so?"

"People won't be able to keep their eyes off you now." She joked with a playful grin, trying to hide the fact that she was indeed one of those people.

"Well you'll just have to keep me safe, be my bodyguard."

"Get all butch on their arse?" Naomi joked as she began to rub the towel gently though Emily's hair.

"You couldn't get butch if you tried Naoms, I think the death stare might do the job though. Anyway you didn't answer my original question, anything from Slough?"

Naomi shook her head before realising Emily couldn't see her. "Nah, not that I really expected there to be. He seems to be too low level to really have anything other than idle gossip and rumours."

"Let's hope this one pays off then, I'm not sure how many consecutive nights of clubbing I can take sober. Plus we'll start getting noticed if we're there daily."

She ruffled the towel though Emily's hair one last time. "You and me both, but let's give it until Sunday before we leave it and follow another lead." Naomi finished as she handed the towel back to Emily and sat on the edge of the table two paces to her left.

Emily didn't reply, instead picked up the folder on the table next to Naomi. The same folder that Anthea had delivered as promised whilst Naomi and Emily were surveiling their target.

It contained background information on their potential targets as well as what Anthea had located on their current where abouts as well. A simple cross in the right had corner of some pages signalled their irrelevance and Naomi couldn't help but wonder how many of those crosses had played a part in collecting the information bound in the folder, Naomi was well aware of Anthea's methods, had been taught them, practiced them herself and though not necessarily pretty they were often highly effective.

Her mind ran through the contents of the folder as Emily idly turned the pages in front of her, she couldn't help but consider the missing page, very specific and very personal, one that Naomi had removed on first sight and left it in the same drop box she had collected the cash, cards and phone from, not before making an amendment in the form of one single word scrawled across the top of the page. It wasn't a crystal clear instruction but Anthea would understand it and as much as she wanted to take him out herself Naomi had bigger fish to fry. She wanted Romin and she knew exactly what she wanted to do once she had him but before she could get there, she needed to find him and needed to get a step ahead of them instead of always trailing behind. So she didn't have time for small time revenge, plus Anthea would make sure he knew who sent her, and she had no doubt he would regret ever pushing the barrel of his gun against her blonde locks for the rest of his life...however short that may be.

Naomi was roused from her thoughts by the folder landing loudly on the table before raising her eyes to the brown pools before her "I'm going to get ready." She heard Emily leave, hadn't turned or acknowledged it with her mind elsewhere for the time being. She pulled a glass towards her and poured a generous fill of spirit before sipping on it, breaking her own rules as she stared at the city before her.

.

.

Two hours had passed and Naomi had began to lose hope, she and Emily had split up and began mingling their way through the busy crowd trying to remain towards the edges but not so much that they stood out or attracted attention. Well...Naomi managed to not attract attention however based on the amount of people Emily appeared to have wandered away from she was clearly not as successful.

Equally it seemed Naomi was only half right when she told Emily people wouldn't keep their eyes off her, it seemed they couldn't keep their hands either. Naomi couldn't decide if she wanted to laugh or tease Emily about her new found attention or secret option number three which involved intervening and possibly taking their place. Her body and mind screamed at her to take up secret option three, but she had to admit it gave Emily a perfect cover in a way - someone to blend into the crowd with whilst looking for Graves.

Naomi turned away, headed to the bar and ordered herself a drink, she'd opted for a bottled beer knowing it wasn't enough to have any real effect and yet far more enjoyable than the syrup filled soft drinks that were available as well as giving her something to do, to focus on. She leaned her back against the bar, one elbow resting on the granite top as she brought the bottle to her lips all the while her eyes trained on the entrance and surrounding area looking out for Graves. It felt hopeless but they would keep an eye out until just before kick out when the house lights would blind them far more than the strobes had all evening. Although right now there was something blinding her far more.

She found herself drawn to Emily again who looked thoroughly bored and Naomi couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips, even bored she looked rather stunning, the way the muscles of her body moved was simply mesmerising and yet even though the sight before her wasn't unknown she couldn't tear her eyes from the images created before her, the way each flex and movement created something so beautiful that she found herself staring, her gaze unwavering and her mission entirely forgotten.

It was only until she felt a gaze as fierce as her own and she was met by a hungry stare quickly followed by a warm smile that she found herself smiling back and remembered that they weren't here to have fun, that she was meant to be looking for another woman and not looking at Emily Fitch.

Placing her empty beer on the bar she pointed to the stairs to let Emily know she was going to check upstairs, she received another warm smile along with a nod of understanding that Emily had managed to perform perfectly to the beat of a tune as she turned her back on the blonde flicking her red hair behind her.

The top floor of the club had been as useless as the ground and Naomi found herself descending the stairs and contemplating finding Emily and calling it quits, she scanned her eyes across the dance floor searching for a flash of red but became alarmed when she hadn't found one, she began to move through the crowd searching for Emily her path taking her to the back of the club where she found herself staring at her own reflection in a mirror wall that threw multiple views of the club off other mirrors and glass placed around the room.

She wondered briefly why she hadn't paid attention to this before, it gave an almost perfect inconspicuous vantage point, a view of multiple areas from one fixed position. She used it to her advantage hoping to see a flash of red somewhere in the reflective surfaces that wasn't caused by the flash of lights. She saw it on the stairs and was certain it was Emily, wondered how Emily had made the path around her without spotting her but before that thought could travel too far she saw something else at the entrance.

Her head was bowed and her interest on something in her hands, a phone perhaps, almost irrelevant, the important point was that she was certain it was the woman they had been searching for, Hayley Graves and she knew the path that Graves would take, it was why they had kept the majority of their searching on the ground floor both able to see the entrance, get lost in the crowd as well as be able to follow anyone, because the only logical place to hold a conversation was in one of the booths on the first floor, the very same place that Emily had just headed with only the one staircase leading to and from the floor.

She had little option and even less time to think of another as she forced her way through the crowd to the staircase all the while keeping Graves in her peripheral vision, she reached the stairs first and climbed them at speed taking two steps at a time before reaching the top and searching instantly for the red head. She found her at the bar, watched for a moment as Emily began to move towards her before she threw a glance over her shoulder, saw graves on the bottom step and then herself closed the gap to the redhead making every effort to try and keep her body between Emily and the stairway.

Emily hesitated and frowned as Naomi grabbed her arm and turned her, guiding her back the way she came walking past the booths and bar to the back wall, pressing her body against Emily's forcefully, pinning her there.

"What the fuck Naoms?" Emily pushed as she shoved hard at Naomi's chest except Naomi didn't budge, she just held her ground.

"Graves is here, over my shoulder" Naomi spoke softly into Emily's ear, knew she had understood, probably even seen Graves when the pressure on her body relaxed.

"I see her, bitch looks all smug..." Emily trailed off and they stayed in the same position, Naomi's back to the entrance and Emily subtly watching over her shoulder. "Someone's here, I don't know them..." Emily voiced as her body stiffened a bit in anticipation. "We need to get closer, hear what they're saying."

"And we stop them seeing us how exactly? Not like we can just walk over there Em." Naomi countered feeling concern that perhaps Emily's motive to get Graves was going to let them lose sight of their original plan.

Emily moved her head from Naomi's shoulder so she could look Naomi in the eye, grinned at her in amusement. "We Improvise..."

Naomi frowned as Emily's hand on her chest pushed her backwards step by step "Trust me, there's no one behind you." Emily spoke softly as she continued to guide Naomi back until her knees came in contact with something solid, presumably a sofa, a little more gentle pressure and Naomi found herself falling back into the couch, seated comfortably, nestled in the leather. At the same time she watched Emily close the gap between them, all the while keeping Naomi's body between her and their target, shielding her as she quite literally climbed into her lap, straddling her.

"Errrr Ems?" Naomi asked and received a humming noise in reply from her neck. "What are you doing?"

Emily chuckled "Improvising...What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Errr..." Naomi trailed off as she felt Emily's hot breath on her neck, followed by a warm pair of lips pressing soft kisses against the tender skin there. Naomi froze not knowing how to react, not sure if this was real or if it was just a cover, if she was meant to touch her or kiss her back or do nothing at all.

Emily sensed her lack of movement and pulled back and stared her in the eye. "At least try and make it look believable Naoms, or do you want them to know that we're listening to every word they are saying?" Emily voiced as she slipped her hand around the back of Naomi's neck trailing her hands through the hair at the nape of Naomi's neck gently.

Naomi placed her hands on Emily's hips and shifted a little, getting herself more comfortable which resulting in pulling Emily a little closer as she listened to the conversation in the booth behind her, two distinct voices, a male and female voice, obviously Graves. But it was getting difficult to concentrate as she was now impossibly close to Emily, their eyes locked, heat radiating from both their bodies.

Emily leaned forwards and pressed kisses against Naomi's jaw working her way along moving ever closer to Naomi's pulse point and she tried her best to concentrate on the conversation behind her, but found her eyes closing with the sensations created by those warm lips caressing her skin. Teasing her with their gentle pressure now growing ever closer to her lips and although her focus was meant to be on the conversation behind her Naomi couldn't help her mind spinning off into the endless possibilities of what would happen if Emily's lips would meet with her own.

Fortunately Emily made the decision easy for her, as she moved her attention back towards her neck and Naomi let her own head lull forwards resting on Emily's shoulder, eyes closed and lips parted controlling her breathing as she focused her attention on the conversation in the next booth.

They were talking casually about nothing of real importance, idle chit chat of two people becoming reacquainted, almost exchanging pleasantries before getting down to business. It didn't seem to take them too long however and Naomi's eyes flew open as realisation hit as to where the conversation was heading.

"_I hear your boss has himself something of a problem?"_ Naomi heard Graves ask curtly.

"_Something like that."_

"_So what exactly do you want me to do about it?" _

"_We want you to find them, find Lux and get the formula."_

"_Lux? You mean Emily Fitch?"_

Naomi felt Emily's body stiffen, a sharp exhale of warm breath on her neck as Emily's alias had been blown. Up until this point Emily had managed to keep the facade and safety that she was Lux Speed, but of course Graves would have found the truth from what Naomi knew she was a very capable individual.

Naomi could feel the tension radiating off the woman in her lap, moved her hand in a circular motion on Emily's hip, soothing her, smiling a little as she felt the smaller woman's body relax again.

"_Lux...Emily...whatever...don't much care what she's called, we just want that formula back. Deliver the girl or the formula or both it doesn't matter. Just get it done."_

"_Okay and what exactly are the terms of conduct...What about collateral damage?"_

"_Irrelevant, the blonde-_

"_-Campbell" Graves interrupted._

"_Yes Campbell, Stella or whatever her sister is really called, even that bitch she's been attached to – the Stonem – friends, family, all the guards they have assigned, public whoever, whatever, they're all free reign."_

"_Stonem? One of them is a Stonem?"_

This time it was Naomi's turn to stiffen, her hand stilled on Emily's hip, instead gripped on as she listened to them discuss Effy and eventually moving onto Anthea. Graves covered her history of how she had been tasked with tracking Anthea down for another client but hadn't had much success, how perhaps targeting her daughter would draw her out in the open. The worst thing was Naomi knew it would, Anthea's one true weakness was Effy, always has been, always will be forever and a day. Anthea had already proved that with her rather reckless actions with Nox and the hotel.

Naomi clamped her jaw tight, her whole body tense as she tuned out the talking behind her, she had heard everything she needed to, Graves was coming after them and killing, maiming, torturing were all available on her menu of choice, special of the day. She didn't need to hear anymore, instead she took a deep breath and buried her head in the crook of Emilys neck, felt delicate hands stroking through her hair and a warm pair of lips on her neck as Emily mirrored her position, distracted, perhaps still listening perhaps her mind running wild as Naomi's did.

She was angry. No. Furious at the predicament she found herself in. All this time she had been playing the game safe, playing a safe defence, surveiling, hiding, sneaking around listening and watching and it had gotten her virtually nowhere except for this little meeting and all that had lead to was confirmation that they wanted Emily or more specifically what Emily knew. Everyone else was now officially irrelevant and entirely disposable.

Worse still, they were still chasing this formula, no revenge no retaliation, they simply wanted what Emily had taken, what she had taken and blatantly avoided answering or even speaking to Naomi about when she had been asked.

"Naoms?" Emily spoke hesitantly as she pulled back from the crook of her neck only to be met with a stern look and tight jaw. Emily traced her hand along Naomi's arms following their path to her hips before she prised their vice like grip from her skin and placed both their hands between them. Emily ran her hand along Naomi's jaw feeling the tense muscles beneath her fingertips.

Emily's eyes flicked over Naomi's shoulder quickly and as soon as they had completed the action she had leaned in closer to Naomi, pressing their cheeks together and wrapping her arms around Naomi's neck tightly. A few moments passed and they stayed in the same position before Emily released her arms from around Naomi "They're gone" she spoke as her eyes looked over Naomi's shoulder ensuring their safety.

When truly satisfied Emily began to climb from her lap, except Naomi reached out and grabbed her hips and held her there, firmly yet not painfully so.

"We need to talk." Naomi spoke, her voice even and firm, it wasn't a request more rather like a demand.

"You need to tell me what you took and what you done with it. No more bull shit answers Emily, this isn't just your life on the line anymore, it never really was but I let it slide because there were more pressing issues, like getting out alive but now we have to stay alive and to do that you have to be straight with me."

Emily frowned at the blonde before her, her eyes no longer warm yet not really conveying anything in the slightest. She placed her hands back on the blondes around her hips and again prised them off, this time keeping hold of one as she linked their fingers together and slipped off Naomi's lap pulling the blonde with her.

"Fine, but not here." Emily spoke sternly as she pulled Naomi towards the exit but not before making a quick stop at the coatroom to grab their jackets.

They didn't speak on the short walk back to the hotel, both lost in their own thoughts. Naomi spent the walk puffing away on a cigarette her anger slowly ebbing away as she let the toxin relax her.

By the time they reached their hotel room and were comfortably seated on the sofa overlooking the city with a drink in hand each Naomi had almost completely calmed down. Emily however in contrast only seemed to grow more and more withdrawn as time had passed, Naomi allowed her the time to think as she sipped quietly on her drink, pouring another glass waiting for Emily to begin in her own time.

It took four glasses before Emily seemed to have come to a decision as she threw her drink back and downed it in one gulp.

"Do you remember ages ago Ames talking about a bio weapon called Helix?" Emily asked. Naomi drew her thoughts back to the very first meeting with Echo and Kilo, to Ames telling them a little back story on Katie and Emily's deep cover and how they were now trying to track down Karlakov thinking he was behind or somehow involved in the sale of the weapon, the very thing that Naomi's life currently appeared to be centred around.

"Briefly, he's a cock I don't always pay attention." Naomi replied absently as she poured herself and Emily another glass.

"Not going to disagree with you there." Emily replied on instinct which caused Naomi to snort in amusement. She however made no further comment, not allowing Emily the distraction or option to go off tangent.

"I stole it and Karlakov clearly wants it or wants me so he can get the toxin back."

"Right..." Naomi replied as she turned her glass in her hands. "I'd gathered that much myself. Why doesn't Ames know this himself?"

"No one knows this, not Katie, not anyone. Well except for you now...and obviously Karlakov...and now Graves..."

"List keeps getting bigger huh?" Naomi joked as she sat back in her chair

"Seems like it." Emily replied distantly as she turned away from Naomi, silence once again settling between them.

"So what aren't you telling me Emily? Taking the toxin doesn't mean anything especially considering the fact that you told me you destroyed the sample, and not when they have the ability to create another..."

Naomi watched Emily's body language, she noticed the slight shift, minor unnoticed to many but visible to the trained eye that had lived shoulder to shoulder with her for days.

"Unless you didn't destroy it?" Naomi questioned, fishing for what Emily wasn't willing to voice freely.

"No it's gone, I burnt the lab down, destroyed it all..."

"Everything?" Naomi questioned and suddenly it began to sink in. "Not everything. Because if it was everything we wouldn't be here..."

Naomi felt her frustration building at Emily's reluctance to tell her the full story. "Fuck sake Emily stop avoiding the subject and tell me, I can't help you beat this if I don't know what I'm up against."

Naomi watched as Emily stood from the sofa, moving to the glass providing the view of the city and pressing her forehead against the cold matter. Naomi watched the smaller woman, watched as her shoulders began to shake and realisation set in that Emily was crying. She stood and moved to her, placing a hand on her shoulder rubbing gently.

"Em...Come on it's okay" she rubbed harder and pulled on her shoulder so Emily faced her and Naomi could see the streaks of tears on her face and suddenly she felt nervous that the situation was potentially far more grave than she had ever thought.

"It's not." Emily spoke between a sob "I didn't know...I swear to god I didn't." She continued before another sob wracked her body and Naomi instinctively wrapped her in her arms.

"Hey shhhh, it's okay Ems, you did the right thing in destroying it all." Another sob and Naomi held her tighter still, until her breathing evened out and she pulled herself away, wiping her face.

Naomi watched Emily steel herself, ready herself to fill in the missing pieces of the jigsaw.

"The technician that created the toxin was a woman called Mandy." Naomi sat back and listened intently, not interrupting. not planning on.

"Katie and I were tasked with finding ways into the organisation finding out what was going on. When I met her I didn't know what she did, I just knew that she was involved somehow, and that was all I needed, an in. So I started seeing her using her to get my foot in the door. She didn't tell me her job and to be honest I didn't ask. It wasn't relevant to me, the only important point was getting in, and getting Katie in with me, or vice versa, who ever got there first. It just so happened to be me."

"Six months in and things were smooth, Katie and I had fairly well integrated ourselves in the organisation, collecting intel and relaying it back to base, it was a smooth well oiled running machine but then something happened, there was excitement, a buzz like someone had slipped something in the coffee. Everything changed."

"Helix." Naomi interrupted and Emily nodded in confirmation before standing and walking back to the glass again.

"They had finally stabilised the formula and testing's were positive, their new bio-weapon was complete, but obviously we didn't know this at the time, so I started pushing Mandy trying to find out what was going on and she didn't budge so I followed her and thats when I found out she was the creator..." Naomi watched Emily's reflection staring forwards, even reflected in glass she looked empty.

"That's when you killed her?" Naomi questioned.

"Yes..."

"And you took the formula?" Naomi continued

"No. I destroyed it, I couldn't risk it getting into the wrong hands, couldn't risk losing it if I failed."

"So if not the formula then what did you take?"

"The antidote."

"They think they can reverse engineer the toxin from it..." Naomi thought aloud.

"I believe so, I don't know if it's possible but it's all that's left."

"And you have it?"

Emily shook her head as she turned back to face Naomi, completely back under control "No, Its with a friend in London, far safer than keeping it myself."

Naomi nodded in understanding as she stood and walked towards Emily, reaching out a hand and tracing it along her jaw line.

"You did the right thing Em." She spoke softly as she looked at the tired eyes before her.

"Did I? Did I really? Because it sure doesn't fucking feel like it."

"You did. It can't have been easy Em but just think of how many lives were saved, how much agony prevented. One life for many its more than a fair trade."

Naomi watched as Emily's head dropped as her emotions began to take control again reliving the tale even in brief detail perhaps too much. So she wrapped her arms around her and led her towards the sofa where she pulled Emily down next to her, pulled her into her shoulder.

"For what it's worth I wouldn't have acted any differently."

Emily sniffed "Thanks...So any ideas on our next move."

Naomi paused, she had considered it and there seemed little left to do. Now she had all the pieces there was little to be gained from following more leads. Plus all the leads were related to Nox and they already had enough information about them.

"I think it's time we go home. Plus we know it's definitely not safe for anyone now so there's no real benefit in staying away."

"It'll be just as dangerous when were back on their radar, perhaps more so." Emily countered.

"Perhaps." Naomi spoke softly before grinning. "But we can't set a trap to if we stay hidden now can we?"


	16. Red Queen

**Erm...yeah it's been a while... a hectic while. There's been injuries and even a little bit of chaos and a baptism of fire at work as well as a lack of internet which has lead to a great deal of faffing about with this chapter because I kept re-reading it and couldn't quite get it right, also I didn't really want to post something I wasn't happy with. So this is the final result I still feel it could be better but alas we may be stuck here forever and as much fun as leaving Naomi and Emily in a lovely hotel room is for my mind it's not really getting this anywhere. So here goes...**

**Skins isn't mine...**

**.**

.

Four hours. Four long and tiring hours it had taken to make the trip back home, a short journey that seemed endless on roads filled with morons, or at least that's what it felt like to Naomi as curses and road rage rolled off her tongue with ease, that was until Emily had insisted on driving the remainder of the journey which Naomi begrudgingly agreed to, instead her increasing anger and stress levels were replaced with a forwards stare, looking but not really seeing. Her mind whirring away planning her way back into Vendetta with the information they had. Working out the best way to use it to her advantage, secure her success and perhaps buy herself more than just a pat on the back and half hearted or backhanded thanks.

She considered her options, she could let Emily take the information about Graves forward and hope they called her in, essentially leaving it to Ames to set the mission specs which would be foolish and dangerous, deadly even. Ames had demonstrated before that tactical planning wasn't his strong point, there had been one and only one occasion that Naomi had been on a mission he had insisted on planning that she had followed to the very last detail as had the rest of the team. The result had left Naomi and a team of seven others in the kill box whilst their targets had the higher ground, they were outflanked, outnumbered and out of options other than to take cover and stick it out, taking advantage of the small opportunities presented. Three lives had been lost for nothing, Naomi herself being saved by the use of a fallen comrade who she had then used as a shield of sorts. His body littered with bullets that were meant for hers.

A safer more preferable option would be to plan everything before they went to Ames. Graves would be the bait to ensure it caught Ames' attention and gained his cooperation on a mission with a dual aim, ticking a name off Vendetta's wanted list earning a rather substantial monetary reward as well as taking another step closer to ending the mess she found herself in so she could focus on another goal.

Naomi however found herself with a thought of serious consideration, a decision to be made that would involve mixing her two worlds. The idea had been rolling in the back of her mind, reinforcing the benefits that it could bring in ensuring her success but equally a considerable danger linked with such a choice. She chewed on her lip as she let the idea grow, weighing up the pros and cons of getting them involved and how she would manage it without getting one of them killed or putting her own group in a similar situation.

"Penny for your thoughts" A husky voice interrupted her thought process, stopped it in an instant as Naomi had to adapt her answer away from the truth, even if ever so slightly.

"Just thinking about what happens next. You know, going home, getting Graves."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that too, how we get her into a place we can trap her..." Emily trailed off for a moment as she let out a sigh "We need something to catch her attention, entice her you know?"

Silence filled the car for a few moments. "I know you aren't going to like it bu-"

Naomi interrupted Emily cutting her off mid sentence. "I know what you're going to say, I've thought it myself and you're right I don't like it." A huff from Emily followed by silence before Naomi conceded defeat "But I can't deny it would certainly achieve results."

"So we're in agreement then?" Emily asked her voice not hiding the shock, the excitement. Emily turned away from the road looking deliberately at Naomi who returned her gaze for a few moments before facing forwards again, her mind returning elsewhere "I didn't say that. But I can't deny it's an option."

.

.

Naomi stepped from the vehicle and stretched enjoying the release of tension in her muscles from being seated for too long. Emily had clearly given a great deal of consideration to her plan, however Naomi knew she wasn't the one that Emily was trying to convince, she was just looking for someone to back her up. Someone objective. Someone unbiased. Naomi wasn't sure she was that person anymore. The short time she had spent with Emily had left her with a desire to protect the smaller woman more than ever and it scared her more than a little.

Folding her arms on the roof of the car she rested her chin on them as she watched Emily engulfed in a tight hug by Katie Fitch followed by a shove to the chest as Katie stared her twin down "You dopey bitch, you scared the living shit out of me!"

She then watched as Emily just grinned and cocked her eyebrow "Missed you too Katie" before being engulfed in another firm Fitch hug. "What the fuck have you done with your hair?"

She couldn't help but chuckle quietly as Emily rolled her eyes over Katie's shoulder at her before a jerk of Emily's head alerted Naomi to the presence of another.

"Interesting..." Naomi heard a familiar echo from the direction that Emily had gestured.

"Stealthy as ever I see Ef." She spoke before turning and facing the Oracle, a lit cigarette ready and waiting for Naomi. "Your powers also still fully functional it appears." Naomi voiced as she plucked the cigarette from the brunettes fingers.

"Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint you, also you happen to be extremely predictable."

"One of these days I might quit and surprise you." Naomi joked before she drew the nicotine into her lungs, a smile sneaking out. "So, what's new? I understand you've had an interesting couple of weeks?"

"You could say that, though it appears nowhere as interesting as yours."

"Yes because nearly getting killed is always at the top of my to do list" Naomi joked before her features broke into a hint of amusement "Actually I suppose it normally is there."

"You said it love." Effy spoke softly before she flicked her cigarette to the floor and clambered into the back of the Audi which Naomi would have found odd if it hadn't been Effy, instead turned her attention to the twins who were each staring at her. Katie's face a scowl as she stood by the back door of the car and Emily's a rather smug expression. "Ready?" Emily asked.

Naomi nodded and watched as they got in the car before exhaling a long puff of air and flicking her own cigarette away. "As I'll ever be."

.

.

"It's guaranteed to get her in the open though, we can play her, set the terms to our advantage."

"Are you insane?" Katie shouted her lisp evident in her outrage.

"Every good trap needs a little bait." Emily countered

"No. Absolutely not!"

"You and I both know this is the best way for it to work Katie"

"No Emily, it's crazy."

Emily's frustration was beginning to build at Katie's blatant disregard to listen to the full idea, but rather just stubbornly resist to any idea put forward that happened to involve her twin.

"Maybe not. I've read about Graves, she's methodical, calculated and just a little bit cocky. She won't pass up an opportunity to lure her prey in herself if she thinks she can play the odds in her favour, which this could."

"No!" Naomi watched as Katie protested again, this time directed at Effy who had tried to back up Emily's plan with logic. Katie however held no weight behind her argument just pure protest. "Someone else can do it. Naomi she can do it."

She watched as Emily sat back into her chair "You and I both know there's only one person she wouldn't consider shooting on sight. We told you what she said. Everyone is expendable Katie. That means Naomi, Effy, even you for fuck sake! Everyone except me! Everyone!"

"Yeah, great move there Em's. Not that I know why you're so fucking special 'cause you won't even tell me."

Emily sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose "I've already told you, it's for your own good. For once in your life will you just trust me without needing to know why?"

"Why the fuck should I?" Katie almost shrieked her voice increasing in pitch. "You disappear for weeks! You didn't contact me for days from when you disappeared. I had people shooting at me the last time I saw you, for all I knew you were dead!"

"Well I'm not am I? And for the record it wasn't days, just day, one day more specifically. I left you a message as soon as I could it's not like I had a computer or phone to hand. I was more concerned with us getting out alive" Emily gestured to Naomi with a jab of her thumb "than finding a way to drop you a little message to say 'Hi no need to worry I'm fine.'"

Naomi watched Katie's anger deepen at Emily's outburst and instead of retaliating directly Katie's attention turned towards her. Instantly she could feel the blaze being directed at her, could almost curse Emily for drawing attention to her in an anger fuelled response by involving her at all.

"Yeah and what exactly was she doing there Ems? She wasn't on the mission, how did she find out? How did she find us? How do you know that she isn't working for them? Baiting you into this trap instead of the other way around! You don't even know her!"

Crossing her arms over her chest she felt herself growing more and more uncomfortable with each point Katie made and she couldn't deny each held weight behind it this time. Even though Naomi knew she wasn't trying to bait Emily her actions were somewhat suspicious if scrutinised. The way she had known how and where to find Emily, the fact she had known they were there at all, that they were being lured into a trap. Emily had trusted her answer, not questioned it for an instant but others wouldn't be as sure as she was, especially Katie it seemed. Not that she blamed Katie, if she were Emily even she wouldn't trust her own answer so freely.

Fortunately Emily had, and she had good reason to as she shook her head left to right her patience apparently running thin. "Don't be a dick Katie, Naomi's not working for them, they tortured her for fuck sake! If it wasn't for her, I'd probably be dead. I owe her my life and anyway this is my plan. Mine and mine alone."

"No Emily just No!" Katie protested again.

Emily almost growled at her sisters response and looked as though she was about to rip Katie a new one before Effy's calm voice interrupted. Her hand placed on Emily and Katie as she reached across the table before addressing the irate Fitch across from her "Katie, I know you don't like this but if you want to make sure Emily stays alive you realise you don't actually have a choice."

"What? Why wouldn't I have a choice?" Katie protested.

"I'm doing this with or without you Katie, without all of you in fact but I'd rather have you - all of you - there to back me up."

Naomi watched as Effy squeezed Emily's hand again before she moved to rest back in her seat. "I'm in." Effy replied almost immediately and Naomi felt herself frowning as Emily smiled at Effy.

"Naoms?" Naomi crossed her arms across her chest."I still don't like it."

"Well that's as good as a yes" Emily replied smugly "which just leaves you Katie?"

"Can we not sit and think of something else, there must be another plan, a better plan."

"No. It's not up for debate Katie. We don't have time to sit and argue over this because you'll always find some excuse, some problem, some reason not to do it, or do it that way. So this is it. Now, are you in or out?"

Katie slammed her fist on the table before rising from her seat and pacing "Why are you so bloody stubborn, you won't tell me why, explain what's going on or talk about other ways, methods, dangers, anything. You just expect me to go along with it and watch as you're kidnapped and dragged off by that crazy traitorous bitch?"

"In a nutshell."

"You really want to do this? You really want to let yourself get captured to get Graves, to get him?"

"I really do, it can work Katie we just need to tie out a few things first but it can work, with the right people in the right places, the right preparations we'll have her and she can lead us to that bastard, end this once and for all."

"You do remember what he's like Emily? Or did you get hit over the head a few too many times recently."

"I haven't forgotten. I could never forget, you know I couldn't. If we don't finish this our way they'll let him slip away, everything we worked for, everything we done would have been for nothing."

Naomi couldn't help but feel that Emily's statement spoke deeper than anything that she was aware of, because as Emily spoke she watched Katie's defences fall right before her eyes, the anger and defiance released from her body and it wasn't even that great of a speech but apparently it spoke volumes because Katie huffed loudly before announcing her agreement with a simple response of "Fine."

She watched Emily smile and yet she could feel her concern grow.

Her decision was now made for her. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out her phone and tapped out a message, she wasn't leaving this just to chance and hope.

.

.

Days and nights were spent planning and putting everything into place. Naomi and Emily staying hidden and Katie and Effy relaying the plan to Ames, manipulating him to accept the idea put before him. It wasn't an option Naomi had considered originally but it was full proof, a flash of cleavage from Katie and that deep penetrating Stonem stare and Ames couldn't do any more to help. He had agreed to every element despite the fact that some were rather woolly and incomplete ideas.

Naomi herself managed to slip out, leaving when the others were asleep and thanking the quiet hum of the Audis V6 that threatened to growl if she even dared show the accelerator a little aggression. Zoning out she drove the short distance to her first destination, her mind elsewhere as she left the car and slunk up the steps rapping on the door waiting for that cocky bastard.

"Blondie, bit late babe or you finally here for that willy waggle?" She glared at him offering no response before he chuckled and his attention drifted over her shoulder "The Audi? Good choice, better not have scratched my motor though, that bitch cost me a mint."

"Your 'motor' is just fine." Naomi replied with a roll of her eyes.

"I'll be the judge of that one, I remember the last time I lent you a car, you told me it was fine then too."

"It was fine, it just wasn't necessarily ever driveable again. Are you going to let me in or am I going to freeze my tits off on your doorstep you cock."

"My hands are warm, bet I could get some heat back in them if you let me." Cook replied crudely as he gestured at Naomi's chest, she couldn't help the smile that broke out across her face as she pushed passed him into the warm house, a muttered "Prick" aimed affectionately towards him.

"So, what's so important then that got me out of bed at 2am?" Cook asked as he sat at the kitchen table, their usual seats occupied sat across from one another.

"I need you to get a team together, I'd do it myself but it would blow my cover and I have ever watchful eyes on me. Stonem eyes, you know how perceptive they can be."

Cook feigned being hurt as he placed a hand on his chest. "You saying I'm second choice?"

"Absolutely" she added with a smile, genuine and warm.

Cook returned her gesture with a smile of his own, though more cheeky "So what's the spec?"

"Honestly I don't have the exact details, its...how shall we say a 'work in progress' but the usual suspects should do the trick. Close quarter combat is almost definitely going to be essential."

"Okay shouldn't be a problem. For when?"

"Within a few days, up to a week max, more like two or three days though, we haven't got long to plan this so no 'Jack the lads' I want the best, pay whatever it takes just get them. If we pull this off they'll be enough cash involved to pay the team three times over and still a good cut for us both." Cook nodded in understanding pound signs practically rolling in his eyes at the prospect.

"One last thing, this can't be tied to me at all, I'll give you the specs and you relay it to the team no mention of my involvement or my name ever to be made. Clear?"

"No problem babes, same as your last agreement with Anthea, I got yer back, happily have yer front too."

"Honey, you can't afford me" Naomi joked with a playful wink and a seductive lick of her lips before she burst out laughing at Cooks expression before he joined in with her, she really had missed him, and knowing he had her back made everything that little bit brighter.

"Not that I have a problem doin' this but why me? Why not Anthea?"

"Because I have something else for Anthea, something far more important, and I need her out of the picture."

"Out of the picture...?" Cook questioned to which Naomi nodded "But why?" he continued when he still hadn't understood the reasoning.

"Why else?"

He took a few moments before replying hesitantly "Her Daughter? Effy was it?"

"Partly" A raised eyebrow from Cook "Okay mostly. That and there's someone that targeted her a while back, never quite got her then but wouldn't hesitate at a second chance, also I do have something else for her."

"Gonna be hard to keep this from her. Keep her away and out of the picture as you put it"

"Not if I send her daughter to the same place I'm sending her it won't, or at least that's all she needs to think."

"Sneaky Blondie. I like it, fucking turns me on."

Naomi snorted "I'd take that as a compliment if I didn't know what else turned you on already."

Naomi glanced at her watch before she stood "Listen I've got to go, I'll be in touch soon."

Cook nodded "No problem, stay safe Blondie and don't fuck my Audi up. Fucking in its all game though" he added with a wink.

"Tosser" She threw over her shoulder as she left.

Starting the engine she looked at the clock, she had ten minutes to get to her meet with Anthea and had almost twenty miles to travel in that time, an impossible task but a challenge she was up to as she turned the engine over and slipped the car in first gunning the engine as she sped along the road. This wasn't the first time she had been aggressive with the machine at her fingertips, it was however the first time she had done it with quite such freedom. Before she hadn't had that sense of urgency, that reckless abandonment that pushed her to drive harder, go faster than was safe. But now she did, getting to Anthea, getting her to play her role was just as important as Naomi's itself. So she pushed the Audi harder, enjoying the growl of the engine, the responsiveness of each turn and the transition from gear to gear and just the sheer power from the little bit of pressure her right foot delivered. Exhilarating.

As she pulled into supermarket car park she slowed her pace and quietly crawled into a space before grabbing her stuff, jumping out and heading into the shop. She counted the isles until she reached the one Anthea had told her meet in, smirked to herself as she looked at the sign hanging above it, of course Anthea would want to meet where the booze was.

"It's a good job you're here, I was about to open this bottle and set up shop here."

Naomi chuckled, believed Anthea completely. "You realise that you can't actually buy this stuff right now?"

"Who said anything about buying it?" Anthea replied seriously. "So dare I ask what you've gotten yourself into now?"

"For the record I haven't gotten myself into anything, I just got caught in the middle of it."

"Ah yes, your little redhead friend created all the trouble, I did a little digging, turns out she isn't quite as innocent as she looks." Naomi's interest piqued at Anthea's words but unfortunately Anthea always did know how to play her, and she never revealed more than she wanted "But that's not why we're here now is it?"

"No, it's not."

"And pray tell why it is that we are here?" Anthea asked as she picked a red wine from the shelf and began to read the details, turning the bottle in her hands.

"I have a favour, one I'm sure you will be more than willing to fulfil"

"And why would that be exactly?"

"Because Effy's being sent to complete a hit and she's going solo." Naomi watched Anthea hesitate, if only for a moment as she placed the bottle back on the shelf.

"Solo?" Naomi nodded "The target?" Anthea questioned further.

Hesitation..."Karlakov."

"You're sending her to take the hit, on her own?" Anthea questioned, a hint of outrage in her voice.

"No, I'm not. I'm sending you. My plan is to give Effy false information but I do need the job completed and there's no one I trust more than you to get it done without fail."

"And Effy?" Anthea questioned "She will be where?"

"Same country different city. I have it on good authority that Karlakov will be in Dniprodzerzhynsk, the intel I pass to the rest of the team was that he is in Kiev. Effy will be there and you will take her place."

Anthea frowned "This is bordering on blackmail Campbell. You know very well I have very little choice, if I say no you will send Effy to Karlakov."

Naomi stayed silent for a moment as she held Anthea's gaze "Yes."

Anthea's face broke into a smile "Perhaps you did learn something from me after all."

Naomi smiled in return, glad that she had Anthea on board "Perhaps I did."

.

.

"Ground activity seems normal. No current threat"

"Copy that." Naomi replied before she let out a breath and trained her eyes back to Emily, stared at her small form sat drinking a coffee as she flicked absently through the paper before her.

Two days ago they had sowed the seed, used an unsecure line to call Katie and arrange a time and place to meet up now she had taken care of a couple of loose ends, a little risky considering the fact that if they were watching Emily they would know she was with Katie but they were fairly confident they were in the clear. Either way now it was irrelevant, they had set the trap, laid the bait on the end of the hook and now they had to wait for the catch. Wait for Graves to arrive and swoop in. Naomi expected it any moment now, her own plan running in the background, her own team members in place to secure the success of the mission.

She watched from her vantage point, a clothes shop across from the cafe as she randomly pushed items along the rail, pretending to look but in all honesty not paying a single bit of attention to anything except the redhead across from her, and anyone that walked a little too close to her.

She heard a click on her earpiece and her body tensed on alert.

"Big bird this is animal" Naomi scowled before she clicked her tongue in anger. "That's not my code name cock."

"It is today babe" He countered and Naomi could visualise his smug arse cocky grin without seeing him. "ETA five minutes. Ready or not, here we come."

"Copy" she replied curtly before she made a conscious effort to release the tension in her jaw as she listened out for the second click signalling that JJ had closed the tap on her earpiece.

She heard the click and pressed her earpiece "Watchtower update requested on ground activity."

Silence echoed in her mind as she awaited their response, she knew they were on site Cook had already confirmed as much but without watchtower she had no way to currently relay that information to the rest of the team and Emily was just left there like a sitting duck, no coms link, no weapons, no trackers, no nothing.

Two more minutes passed and Naomi wiped her hands on the clothes on the rail in front of her. Nerves began to grow at the lack of communication, concern building that perhaps something had gone wrong with her ear piece, that perhaps JJ's tap had cocked it all up somehow, she was relieved and yet almost dreaded the confirmation when she heard the familiar voice of Watchtower "Movement spotted, team of five moving to target from West entrance, visual in three...two...one..."

Naomi's gaze flicked to the west entrance doors, waiting for the aforementioned team, her knuckles white as she held the railing tight in anticipation. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw them, this was the moment they had planned for and she was here waiting in the wings with nothing to do than confirm she had a visual and watch them take the redhead she had become close to away. She took a breath and let it out before relaying the message "Visual obtained..."

She watched feeling helpless as Graves sat across from Emily reaching and taking Emily's coffee, sipping from the cup before placing it back on the table. A shake of her head, what looked like a throaty chuckle and Emily looked furious and yet fearful at the same time, playing her part, letting the scene unfold, letting Graves believe she was in control.

In reality Graves was being played, a pawn in a game and Emily was the red queen making all the players move as instructed, completing her plan as briefed albeit with a few seemingly insignificant changes. So she waited, waited and watched as Emily left with Graves under some resistance. Listened to Watchtower relay what was happening as she headed out the back of the shop to the bike resting there. Slipping the helmet over her blonde locks and pulling the visor down, kicking life into the engine before following the red queen completing her own part of the plan as the assault teams moved into position at their location.

Ready, lying in wait to spring the trap.


	17. Grave Danger

**So I have a confession...I purposely named my evil little Emily Fitch stealing witch 'Graves' purely so I could fit this chapter title in...I know what a geek right? :)**

**Not over the moon about this one, really struggled to be honest but there we go, hope you enjoy it and if you don't then feel free to just take the cliff notes from it...**

**As always thanks for the reviews / alerts :)**

**Skins isn't mine...**

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Her right hand gripped the throttle tightly as she opened it up, pushing hard before a stiff upwards click with her left foot in synch with the clutch let her rapidly climb through the gears. Leaning into each turn she kept as much speed as possible as she half listened to the chatter in her earpiece, updates of where the teams were, their preparations and positions, but that wasn't what she was interested in, not really. She was listening out for the signal of the tap, waiting to hear where Cook and his team were, what was happening, more importantly she wanted to know if she was still on the right course and there were no deviations. It was almost painful not knowing, and not being able to ask either but she had to trust their planning and push on forwards weaving through the traffic from street to street.

Rounding the last corner she pulled the bike to a gentle stop before feeling that last half upwards click. Bracing both feet on the floor she sat upright as the engine rumbled beneath her before lifting her visor and staring at the facility ahead of her.

Storesafe was the location they had set their trap, quiet enough to ensure few casualties and an ideal tactical location to raid. Equally it was a secure enough for it to be a believable location for Emily to have hid the antidote because that was the simplest bait to get Graves here. So they had hired a space, filled it with inconsequential items of no importance and then hidden a vial of liquid in one of the boxes. The liquid actually just a vial of saline, nothing more than an aid to set the scene should it get that far not that it was planned to ever reach that stage.

Naomi's mind ran through their plan in parallel with her own personal adjustments, her decision to sneak a little extra help into to clear a little more of the resistance. Distantly a familiar voice pulled her back from her musings, Watchtower had been tracking the vehicle using Vendetta's satellites, following its path watching for any deviations, any surprises.

"Two miles to destination."

Naomi leaned forward and slipped the bike in first, rolling forwards into the yard out of sight before cutting the engine and slipping off. She pulled the helmet from her head and rested it on the seat as she heard the relative teams checking in, they were all in place now, waiting. She pulled her gun from its resting place between the back of her trousers and her jacket and screwed the silencer on that she removed from the messenger bag thrown lazily over her shoulder.

Staying crouched low with her shoulder pressed against the cold metal of a container Naomi waited for her cue, waited for the distinctive click on her earpiece to signal her contact with Cook. Impatiently tapping her index finger against the side of her gun as the seconds ticked by like an eternity. She knew he couldn't make contact till he had the right opportunity but it didn't make the silence any easier and only served to increase her concern for Emily's well being.

Sadly the signal she had been waiting for didn't come and instead her instruction from Watchtower did, she pushed it out of her mind, told herself that Cook just didn't have the free moment to make contact that he needed. But it was there gnawing away that something wasn't right. Even if he couldn't make contact JJ could have updated her, but would he think to do so? Perhaps not. Either way they were committed now, and so she followed her orders and began her strike heading to the rear of the facility entering through the loading bay working her way from the East as the others moved from the North and West, essentially boxing the targets in, including Cook and her own back-up plan.

She listened to the teams move, Katie moving swiftly meeting no resistance yet, as Angelo's team engaged, a team large enough to give the pretence that it was the full squad with an attack on the main entrance of the facility as planned whilst Katie moved as stealthily as she did through the building with the end goal to reach Emily and Graves whilst the bulk of Graves goons were focused on Angelo.

Naomi moved quickly that was until she heard the click on her earpiece and in response breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank fuck for that. Thought you'd gone and fucked it up already" She muttered hastily as she checked her area, delaying her assault.

"You know me babe, always keep 'em waiting." She heard Cook reply in turn, muffled by the sounds of gunfire. His voice turned serious the next time he spoke, games and banter forgotten for the moment "Graves changed it up better go to plan B."

"Fuck!" Naomi muttered angrily to herself "How many?"

"About eight plus Graves and your girl."

She thumped the metal next to her in temper with her forearm, eight hostiles was more than they had planned. Why hadn't Watchtower been, well, fucking watching? She just didn't get it. Not a peep since that first instruction for all teams to move in, which wasn't necessarily out of the ordinary but to not alert ground teams to the location and position of hostiles at least once was out of character.

She had to think quick, make the right choice to limit the possibility of losses for both hers and the other team "Can you hold the front gate? No one in or out."

"Just about."

She placed her gun on the floor for a moment whilst she reached into her bag pulling an item before swinging it back to rest on her lower back. A couple of seconds to make the necessary adjustments and she was once again poised, glock firmly in hand safety released and chamber loaded.

"How long can you give me?"

"15 minutes tops, we're bleeding ammo and not being able to actually kill these fuckers makes it a damn sight harder."

"Retreat into the facility in 10, use the corridors for cover, stay to the East like we planned and then you should only need to watch your back."

"Copy, make it snappy yeah I don't fancy being used for target practice for long."

"Dont worry I intend on, out."

She heard the click a couple of seconds later on her earpiece and instantly pressed her hand to it again not wasting any time in relaying the amendment to the plan. "Kilo, moving to plan beta, repeat plan beta, copy"

"Copy" A singular worded reply was all she received yet she could hear the fear and concern in that one curtly spoken word by Katie and she knew that although her own voice hadn't betrayed her, the frantic beating of her heart did. She felt uneasy, nervous and not her usual calm collected self. But she had little choice, it's not like she could walk away, not now.

Moving swiftly she changed her course heading to the room they had checked on the plans, she turned the handle on the door and felt the resistance of the lock before instantly stepping back and firing at the mechanism, no time to be wasted with lock picking. Now free she opened the door and moved to the back wall, ripping the box open. She ran her hand down the switches looking for the one that held all the power finally finding it she held it firmly poised as she relayed the message.

"Blackout in three...two..." she drifted off, didn't give the last number but instead flicked the switch killing the power. She then stepped back holding her gun up and fired at the box allowing her senses to give the general direction in the pitch black that now filled the room. A precaution to make sure no one could put the power back on and foil their back up plan.

She then pulled the goggles she had earlier rested loosely on her forehead over her eyes and powered them on taking a moment to adjust to the night vision. A message from Katie of moving to target spurred her into action as she moved the memorised path to where their storage locker was held. Amused she listened to the sounds of commotion drifting down the corridor as she approached her destination, they certainly made themselves easy targets to track.

Making a quick decision she raised her gun and fired off two shots in quick succession dropping her first target, one to the chest and then a kill shot to the head. She heard the heavy thud of the body hitting the ground before stepping over it and continuing down and around the corridor.

Two more targets lay ahead both now silent, guns raised and alert not that it was going to do them any good as she picked them both off with ease and skill with double taps to the chest for the first and a single headshot to the second.

She took the opportunity check her watch before updating Kilo and reloading her weapon "Three targets down, moving to Echo copy." Naomi waited for a reply as she rummaged in her victims pockets, concern pulled at her mind, radio silence either meant Katie was down or her journey wasn't proving quite as clean.

Another look at her watch and she saw that the five of the agreed ten minutes had passed surprisingly quickly, she pushed forwards with her goal of reaching Emily at the forefront of her mind as she made one more left turn into the last corridor meeting no further resistance - which didn't surprise her - it would have been too easy to pick them off one by one now, Graves would have kept a team close as well as her own weapons, Naomi's only hope resting in the fact that the darkness gave her the upper hand in an outnumbered situation.

Naomi kept her shoulder snug to the wall her palm pressed against it so she could feel her way along as her other hand held her weapon raised and steady. Counting the doors she slowed her pace as she reached the room she required, pausing at the doorway listening to the hushed voices inside trying to gauge as much from the situation as she could, it seemed their blackout plan still held the advantage for the time being.

Naomi still couldn't understand why Katie hadn't checked in, if Graves herself was still at a disadvantage it didn't make sense. The whole point of setting the trap in a windowless facility was purely for this one reason, so they could use the darkness and blind their opponents. Katie's journey should have been as smooth as her own, it should have been simple, an untrained target that can't see is more than likely going to be a target whose heart no longer beats and so far every target Naomi met seemed lacking in the training qualities.

She had little time to dwell on that fact though, Cooks team would soon be retreating back into the building, which meant Angelo's team wouldn't be far behind, following them step for step naturally. If Cook and his team were to make it out without capture or injury she didn't have time to sit and wait.

She crouched low to the floor and snuck a head around the doorframe, could see Graves holding Emily tightly to her chest a blade pressed to her throat, her mouth gagged, her wrists bound. Three more guards stood around the room, each with their guns raised and shifting left to right their breathing laboured. She surveyed her options, with Emily held as she was Naomi couldn't pick the others off the same way she had in the corridors. Silencers after all weren't completely silent.

Making her decision she rummaged in her bag, looking for the very thing to cause a suitable diversion. She felt her way around before pulling out a flashbang. The noise would provide the perfect opportunity to pick at least one - hopefully two - targets off. She surveyed the room again, checked her path to a corner out the way, out of sight as the flash would take away her darkness if only momentarily, she couldn't risk them knowing she was here.

Her route planned she pulled the pin and released it before throwing it down the hall and moving to her secure location. She took aim on her target her right arm held strong before she pushed her goggles up with her left hand holding them there. She waited the few seconds that felt like an eternity as she stood there in the dark for the bang she knew was imminent, the bang that would muffle her gunshot in removing her first target.

She heard the bang, resisted the urge to flinch and duck knowing there was no danger and instead used that moment to fire a handful of shots off knowing that the sound of the flashbang had disrupted their hearing enough to disguise the mere sound of her silenced weapon. She pulled her goggles down now and took the next target out, ignoring the ringing in her ears, the throbbing in her temples before finally moving to target three.

Without hesitation she took the shot, a handful in fact as she emptied the remainder of her clip into his chest before turning her attention to Graves who now not only had a blade pressed to Emily's throat but also held her own firearm. Naomi sensed the danger and dived to the right, her body hitting the concrete of the solid floor beneath her with a thud but not before a sharp sting nipped at her body.

Reaching a hand down to her leg she felt the warm sticky wetness there, a grimace on her face as her fingers brushed over the wound. She applied pressure with her hand as she listed to Graves talking animatedly on her radio, her free hand re-loading her weapon, allowing herself a small smile as she heard silence instead of a response.

"Michael...James...Come in" Graves voiced angrily in the darkness as Naomi snuck a look at her, the blade still pressed to Emily's throat, a darker colour present clearly visible even in night vision following a path from where metal met skin. She balled her fist in anger at the sight. "You're going to regret that" she spoke menacingly as she ducked back behind her hidden space, not wanting to let Graves take the advantage of following her voice.

Naomi heard the click as Graves released the radio she had been speaking into only a moment ago.

"I wouldn't bother with the radio honey, they're all gone honey it's just us now."

Graves growled "Make one move and I'll cut the bitch so deep you can play her vocal cords."

She hesitated as she heard the hitch in Emily's breath, imagined that blade being pushed a little firmer against her skin. Naomi steeled herself, knew she had to play hardball with Graves, that any sign of weakness was as good as admitting defeat, she steadied her voice, consciously slowed her heart rate and ensured she kept in control of her emotions. "You can't, you need her."

"I don't need shit. Do you really think I care about a job that much? Besides, what I need is here, then dead or alive it doesn't matter."

She considered her options, with Emily in the predicament she was in Naomi couldn't attack, even her darkness advantage was removed with that blade biting into Emily's flesh. She frantically wracked her brains, trying to come up with a solution that would work but each thought hit a difficulty of some form, she needed to buy time, let Cook or Katie arrive, preferably Cook, she could make that work, with Katie here they were in virtually the same situation but just both of them feeling useless doing nothing more than watching.

"Then let her go and we'll walk out of here." Naomi voiced, not believing her words just talking for the sake of talking.

She heard Graves laugh a full bellied chuckle and looked up watching her shuffle in the darkness. "Do you really think I'm that stupid to think you would just leave? Just let me go?"

"Perhaps, I mean you were stupid enough to walk into this trap, and in a minute you're going to be stupid enough to fall over a dead body in your search for the exit."

Naomi heard another hiss from Emily "Watch your mouth bitch."

"Truth hurts doesn't it?" Naomi retaliated, not allowing Graves a break, instead pushed on buying herself that little bit more time. "So tell me, what drew you to this job, was it the big fat paycheck or perhaps the chance to get another dig in at Vendetta."

Naomi started listening to Graves' reply that was until she was distracted by that click in her earpiece that felt like a life line had just been thrown to her.

"I hope to fuck you're nearly done babe because the fucking Calvary's coming." Cook spoke quickly as she heard gunfire continue in the background.

She whispered as quietly as she could relaying her messages as abruptly as possible "Hit a snag, need a couple of you here now. Need five more minutes"

"On my way, hold tight."

She pulled her attention back to Graves listened to her ramble on, taunted her played her just enough to keep her talking, distract her. Even brought up the fateful job that Graves had betrayed Vendetta on, knew it would either anger her or excite her to relive it but it was all necessary, necessary to buy herself and Emily those two or three minutes required for Cook to arrive.

It was surprisingly easy to keep her talking, keep distracting her by making noises in different places of the room, simply by throwing objects from her singular position as she kept her hand pressed tightly against the wound in her leg.

She saw out the corner of her eye a brightness approaching hoped to God it was Cook as she trained her weapon on the door.

"Graves..." she heard him shout and visibly for a moment she relaxed before plastering her mask back in place. Slipping her night vision goggles from her head she threw them aside knowing they would be pointless in a moment with light approaching from the hallway.

"Graves, where the fuck are you?" Cook shouted again and Naomi made a mental note to commend Cook on his skills of deception.

"Four-oh-two" she heard Graves voice, excitement evident. "All dead are they bitch, like fuck they are."

Naomi watched Cooks face appear around the corner, holding a lantern in one hand and a assault rifle in the other, a rifle which was instantly directed at her, as was her weapon to him. They were in somewhat of a standoff in that moment silently communicating by Naomi mouthing her plan to Cook, the plan she had been working on whilst waiting for him to arrive.

That was until Graves piped up in her own special way by making Emily moan in pain again.

"Times up bitch..."

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**Ahhh I know I'm a bit mean there, I try not to leave cliff hangers but this one was somewhat unavoidable. It would have been too long for one chapter and I didn't have time to write it all before today anyway.**

**Despite my past actions, I'll try not to make you wait forever to find out the fate of our beloved Naomily...**


	18. Russian Roulette

***Shuffles in sheepishly* Errr hi…**

**Ahha okay I'm REALLY sorry that it took me so long, things were just, well, complicated somewhat, busy and more and writing wasn't happening. But I had a very productive train journey and just in time to deliver this to you lovely people. Here's to hoping that it doesn't disappoint.**

**I don't own skins, I do however own a HUGE list of updates I have not gotten to reading and this will be my next task…so yeah apologies all of you whom I normally r&r.**

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"Times up bitch..."

Naomi knew it too, this was it. Now or never. The end of Graves little mission and their trap and if everything went to plan the end of Karlakov. Or at least that's what she hoped, what they all hoped, one way or another it would be over and dead or alive Graves wasn't leaving this room unless it was with Vendetta agents.

Sharing a final glance with Cook she turned her attention back to Graves, tuning back into her ramblings of how she was the victor and Naomi's imminent downfall...

"...What you gonna do now then bitch? Can't shoot me, or James here will shoot you, shoot James and I'll make your red head sing for me... Seems like you just might be fresh out of luck darling.

Naomi could hear the pleasure in her voice and she wanted to laugh, instead settled on her trademark eye roll whilst she kept her gun trained on Cook as was his on her. Her reply was cocky, and yet challenging, she after all didn't want to come across as weak or show fear, which couldn't be further from the truth. "So what's your proposal then, I'm presuming you have one? Seeing that I'm so fresh out of luck and all."

Her plan was simple really, let Graves set the scene, regardless of what happened she needed Emily alive to get the vial, and she'd keep Naomi alive for leverage, it was perhaps a risk to make such an assumption but the odds were stacked in her favour.

Like a game of Russian roulette - only one gun in this room was aimed at her with the intent to kill.

So she let Graves set the pace, order her around and feel in control as she waited for that moment, letting her profiling of Graves guide her. Despite her earlier comments, Naomi had a feeling Graves wanted the vial, and she was unlikely to leave here without it. In her world reputation was everything, and not completing a job was a black mark on your record, and often left a equally sized mark on your bank balance. People wouldn't pay big money for someone that only sometimes completed the job.

"Well for starters I think you need to get rid of that gun of yours and give me a twirl so I can get a proper look at you. No funny business either or we'll see how good reds voice is when she strikes up a tune." Her comment was punctuated with another moan from Emily and in an instant Naomi's anger spiked, she wasted no time and with a flick of her hand her weapon was disposed, tossed aside out of her reach and everyone else's.

"There's a good girl, James be a darling and we can have ourselves a proper introduction."

She watched as Cook placed the lantern he had been holding on a stack of boxes and strode towards her, leaning down he shared an apologetic look before he barked a rough order of 'up' at her. She understood, he had a part to play, and he would play it well as would she in his position.

Grasping her bicep firmly he hoisted her to her feet. Her leg screamed in protest and she swallowed her own pain that threatened to escape her lips. He patted her down and she could almost imagine him grinning like an idiot under his mask as his hands roughly travelled her body. He was however swift and ignored the weapon he felt on her forearm, instead pushed her forwards into Graves line of sight, out in the open away from her position of cover.

A swift kick to her injured leg and she crumpled to the floor this time her pain not withheld as the wound screamed and throbbed in light of the blow. Falling to her hands and knees she pressed her forehead to the concrete floor below her as she pulled herself back in control, pushed the screaming of her thigh aside. Cook was relentless, truly playing his part as he barely gave her time to regain the control she so dearly desired as he grabbed her hair to pull her into a kneeling position, her arms yanked behind her back and bound with a tie, albeit loosely and easy for her to slip her knife free and escape.

"I thought it might be you Campbell...No lisp you see, and Effy well from what I understand she's not much of a talker now is she?"

Naomi glared at the woman in front of her but said nothing, had no response that wouldn't anger her.

"A little research goes a long way darling. So now I've got you both we're going to have a little treasure hunt" Graves turned to Emily and spun her around so they were face to face, holding her gaze pointedly "and Emily dear, you will tell me where that vial is, because for every wrong answer we have a little fun, comprende?"

Naomi watched Emily, she didn't react, didn't agree or answer in anyway. "I'm taking your silence as understanding." Graves smirked knowing full well Emily couldn't actually speak with the tape covering her mouth.

"James, if you please." She gestured to Emily.

"Pleasures all mine babe" he spoke as he walked over and pulled Emily close to him, his arm wrapped around her throat instead of the blade that had been there only minutes before. She watched him tense his grip and he stared her down before doing it again. Naomi was making a mental note to kick him in the balls for doing it again just so he had an excuse to pull Emily closer still.

"Excellent! All set then." Graves spoke before ripping the tape from Emily's face and flicking it to the side.

"So where is my vial hidden?"

Naomi watched Emily stretch out her jaw a couple of times as she appeared to consider the question, a smile spread across her face, cocky and smug "In a box" she replied, and in an instant Naomi was both applauding and cursing her all at once. This was going to hurt.

"Strike one" Graves spoke before a swift backhand landed hard on her face. She felt the heat of the sting and imagined the reddening of her face as she turned to face forwards again.

"Care to try that one again?"

Emily scowled at Graves, a look of pure hatred shining in her eyes as she continued to banter and buy time, or at least that's what Naomi presumed. "Not really, I told you the truth it's in a box."

This time Graves slapped Emily "You really are a cocky little shit aren't you, no one ever told you that your mouth is going to get you in trouble? Or more accurately get your friend here in trouble?" She stepped away from Emily and started back towards Naomi "I think that clarifies as strike two…" she grinned before yanking Naomi to her feet and kneeing her hard in the gut.

Air rushed from her lungs as the blow struck not once but two consecutive times, as she folded over another blow struck her on the back of her neck and she once again crumbled to her knees, a deep cough as she struggled to regain her control. When Naomi raised her head, she could see Emily fighting Cook, pulling hard at the arm around her throat as she tried to get to Naomi and she felt a sense of pride that someone other than Cook or Anthea would try to fight for her. But it was pointless because she was at a distinct disadvantage.

"Bet that smarts a bit doesn't it Campbell, trust me when I say you've seen nothing yet. So red, lets try again. Where. Is. The. Vial?"

"Fine, its in a blue box." Emily retorted with a smirk and Naomi actually chuckled because as she glanced across the room, they were all blue storage boxes but her laughter died in her throat as she saw Graves pull a knife from her boot.

"Strike three. Now the fun begins." In an instant the knife whipped out and Naomi felt a sharp sting flow across her right bicep and distantly she heard Emily shout no but it barely registered as the slice was followed by a stomp on her leg, the only thing she registered then was the scream of her own voice, an almost guttural cry, she barely registered the second slice this time across her back. Her body had rolled forwards trying to protect herself, her face again pressed to the floor as she doubled over her breaths coming in short sharp bursts. She couldn't keep doing this much longer, Cook needed to take Emily out of the picture and soon, and then she could get what she needed from Graves.

She could hear voices but she couldn't really register anything they were saying, it sounded though that Emily had at least conceded a little more accurate information because as she looked up through bleary eyes she saw Graves dragging Emily across the room, held tightly in one hand, as the other held the knife that had shed her own life source.

She took the opportunity whilst Cook was free to look at him and make a plan to end this, she trusted him to do it right and as she spoke her plan, he read her lips and nodded before walking over and wrapping his arm back around Emily's throat as instructed again by Graves whilst she rooted through a box.

Naomi then took advantage of the moment's relief to slip her own knife free and cut the tie around her wrist before slipping it back into its sheath, keeping her hands behind her back so she at least kept up the façade that she was bound.

She heard Cook laughing as Emily squeaked when he pulled her forcefully back to their earlier position and she glared at him. "Don't know what you're laughing at ugly, you wear that mask because no woman can stomach your ugly face?. That's probably the first and I promise you it'll be the last time you'll have a gorgeous woman that close to you."

Cook pulled Emily closer still if it was possible, his touch wasn't enough to hurt her but certainly enough to physically jerk her backwards so she was flush with his body. He let his free hand roam down from her shoulder to hip, slowing as he passed her breast before travelling back upwards. Naomi glared at him, her face pure fury. "What's up blondie, see something you like?"

Naomi didn't answer, just continued to glare as his hand travelled round so his palm was flat against Emilys stomach. He applied pressure and wrapped one leg around hers, Naomi watched him tense his body, each muscle fibre strong and fixed into position.

"If you liked that, maybe just maybe you'll like this too" he grinned at her as he constricted his leg and hand on Emily's stomach pulling her close, once his position was stable he tightened his grip on his forearm around her throat.

She watched pained as Emily's eyes truly showed the panic she felt and fear ripped through her, she was trusting Cook quite literally with Emily's life, albeit without Emily's knowledge of this fact. She watched on helpless her eyes equally conveying every ounce of fear she possessed as Emily faded until unconsciousness took her. Cook glanced across the room to check Graves was still occupied as he gently lowered Emily to the floor and checked her pulse, all the while Naomi watched on anxiously.

She breathed a sigh of relief as he nodded at her. He pulled his mask off and mouth to her 'Are you okay?' and she was now, now she knew Emily was okay and Graves was outnumbered two to one with nothing but a knife to protect her.

Together they rose to their feet and she limped across the room to Cook, she mouthed the word 'handgun' to him and silently he passed one over to her. She cast an eye down to the unconscious red head below her and then rose the gun, firing a shot at Graves hitting her in the shoulder.

She held no remorse for her actions as she limped across the room, her gun still raised, aimed directly at Graves chest adrenaline coursing through her system, her pain not forgotten but simply ignored.

"Guess what bitch?" She grinned sadistically at her "It's my turn and now you're the one that's fresh out of fucking luck." On the word luck she fired another shot this time into Graves thigh and watched as she grumped to the floor. "Paybacks a bitch."

"Cook babe, do me a favour and drag that sorry piece of shit over here."

He grinned at her, now free of his mask and grabbed Graves, unceremoniously dragging her across the room before ditching her at Naomi's feet. The whole time her gun was trained on Graves and this moment was no different.

"So I have a question for you, and trust me when I say that my rules to the game are far more advanced than yours." She smirked before cocking one eyebrow and throwing Graves own comment back at her "Comprende?"

Hatred looked back of her, but she didn't care, they were short on time and she had no intention of dragging it out.

"Wheres Karlakov?" Naomi barked.

Graves didn't answer and so she shifted the focus of her gun to graves hand and fired. Naomi was mildly impressed as Graves only barely let out a sound but she didn't care.

As she stood on her hand she asked the same question again, and again on receiving no answer she fired again, this time at her other hand.

She continued on the same course, no answer and a shot, moving around body parts until she caved, it took seven bullets in total before she finally gave up the name of the hotel, barely whispered from her lips.

"See that wasn't so hard was it?" Naomi smirked. "Cook, can I have your phone?"

As he passed the phone across Naomi dialled Anthea's number from memory and listened for the call to connect, all the while her gaze piercingly staring at Graves, still showing no remorse as her gun was aimed at her chest.

"Hey it's me." She spoke when the call connected. "Yeah I know, hit a little more resistance that we had been expecting. Yeah, he's at the Axelhof...thanks…yeah don't worry I think she'll get the message. Okay."

She disconnected the call and looked to Graves pale face.

"Anthea sends her Love."

She watched the look of abject horror cross Graves' face, with a final smirk she fired one solitary shot and watched as Graves slumped fully to the floor.

She allowed her arm holding her gun to drop to her side before she sunk down onto the nearest box, her body tired, bloody and somewhat beaten.

She walked to where Graves had been and retrieved the vial, nothing more than saline but she ripped the lid off and tipped the contents on the floor her mind thinking ahead to cover her bases before she stepped over to Emily's unconscious body.

She crouched down, ignored the protest from her leg and moved the strands of hair covering her face out of the way.

"Well that didn't go quite as I expected" She spoke to no one but herself as she watched the steady rise and fall of Emily's chest, held her hand across her face and felt the puff of warm air hit her hand.

Reassured of her wellbeing Naomi finally fully sunk to the floor her gun clattering on the concrete as she did so before looking at Cook.

"Don't think I didn't notice you feeling us both up either."

He threw her one of his stupid fucking grins "What can I say babe, the Cookie monster never misses an opportunity" he winked and she found herself smiling back until a serious look . "I'm sorry you know...I don't enjoy hurting you."

"I know, its okay I do understand" She smiled "You should get out of here, get your guys out."

"You sure babe, you don't look like you could fend off a fruit fly right now?"

"Yeah I'm sure, can you get my bag" she pointed to the far corner of the room where she had made her initial strike "over there."

He threw it down to her and she rummaged for a moment before pulling out and snapping a glow stick, throwing it at her feet. She also pulled free another gun before throwing the bag back to Cook. "There's some explosives in there, you might need them to get out."

"Sure thing babe" he pressed a kiss to her forehead "Sorry…about…you know" he jestured to Emily and she frowned before waving a hand at him, dismissing whatever he was walking about.

"Forget it, go on, get out of here."

He stood and smiled before signalling the team "Panda pops, Freds, move out. Leave the lambs to the slaughter. Follow my lead, Gay Jay will direct." He gave one last smile to Naomi before grabbing the lantern he had entered with and was on his way.

Naomi turned her attention back to Emily and gently shook her hoping to wake her but she was still out cold. Peaceful almost like she was asleep.

Pressing her hand to her earpiece she checked in with watchtower, relayed that Kilo was missing and Graves was eliminated as well as their location, though there was a distinct lack of response but she couldn't lift Emily so she waited, her back pressed against a box as she fought with her own consciousness until eventually the darkness took her too…

.

.

A gentle rhythmic beeping pierced her senses first, followed secondly by the clinical scent always associated with medical facilities. She shifted her body and then the rest of her senses kicked into life, as if they had been ignited with fire.

Distantly she heard voices but she couldn't register what they were saying, only that they were speaking, she tried to open her eyes but exhaustion and sleep pulled at her as she fought against it, but in the end it was always going to win.

.

.

The next time she woke, she was alone. No voices pulling at her consciousness, far less fire in her body and yet still the clinical scent and rhythmic beating remained. She gently shifted and cracked an eye open before rolling her head across the pillow to take in her surroundings. White walls met her followed by medical equipment and the usual hospital facilities as well as the more luxurious stuff she appeared to have been fortunate enough to enjoy, or not enjoy as the case may have been.

She rolled her head to the other site and examined further but her breath caught in her throat as she saw Katie in the next bed, her own machine signalling her life continuing with that same steady rhythmic beat. She saw two forms each curled up in chairs seated opposite one another, Effy and Emily snoozing quietly with their feet resting on their opposite's chair. She cracked a smile at the sight.

Resting her head back against the pillows she tried to remember what happened, forcing her sluggish brain into the right gear. She remembered the lock up, events unfolding and Graves ultimate demise, but after that it was all a bit foggy, she found herself frowning as she tried to recall and came up empty.

She stayed that way, staring at the ceiling until she sensed a presence nearby, a nurse smiling politely at her as she realised she was awake.

"Good morning Miss Campbell, nice to have you with us again."

Naomi sent her a polite smile in return, she didn't remember being here before let alone again, which just mean she had more frustration to mull over.

"What happened?" She asked her voice raspy from a lack of use.

"You were shot Miss Campbell, experienced some complications in surgery as well."

Naomi nodded mutely, she didn't really know how to react to that statement, so decided a different course of action was in order. "Katie, what happened to her?"

"Also shot Miss Campbell, however she is also doing fine now" The nurse smiled politely at her and she nodded her thanks.

"Miss Campbell-"

Naomi interrupted her "Please, call me Naomi"

"Certainly" Another smile "This just arrived for you" she passed over an envelope "is there anything I can get you?"

Naomi shook her head and offered her thanks, waiting for the nurse to leave before she opened the envelope, pulling a 'get well soon' card out. She glanced at the cover briefly before opening it to read the message inside.

'Problems are made to be solved' was stated in a familiar script and she found herself grinning, the letter was signed with the Greek mark symbolising alpha, Anthea of course which could mean only one thing. That the Mark was eliminated, Karlakov was dead and that it was over finally. She herself had one lose end to tie up, a little bit of personal revenge that she would ensure was completed at some point in the near future.

Placing the card on the side she smiled to herself for a moment and then shifted a little in bed trying to get comfortable, ultimately ending up facing the others. She found herself staring at the trio across from her for a moment before closing her eyes and instead listened to the steady breaths along with the rhythmic beating of the machines, allowing herself a rare moment of carefree abandonment and relaxation…

She didn't know how long she had been laying there, but she wasn't asleep, at least not deeply and she heard voices speaking again, the husky voice of Emily and the distinct lisp of her twin, she didn't open her eyes, didn't want them to know she was awake, didn't want to intrude. Instead just laid there listening to them speak softly with one another. Katie protesting that she didn't need her twin to help her to the bathroom. That Effy was perfectly capable of fulfilling that duty based on the fact that Emily looked so tired she may develop narcolepsy.

A great deal of shuffling later and it seemed Effy had succeeded in her task in getting Katie out of bed and helping her complete the short walk across the room to the bathroom. Naomi wondered exactly what had happened to Katie but before her thoughts could progress any further she felt a warm hand encase her own.

"Naomes…Can you hear me? … I really wish you'd hurry up and wake up. You scared the fucking shit out of me you bitch. Still are."

A hand stroked the hair covering her face, shifted it ever so slightly before it fell straight back where it had been only seconds ago.

A sigh echoed in the room before a silence that seemed to drag on forever "I'm so fucking sorry. This is all my fault…You…Katie…Both of you…all my fault. Me and my stupid plan and I nearly lost you both." Another sigh followed by another silence. "Please be okay, I need you even if you don't know it." She felt the pressure increase on her hand before she sensed Emily moving, the bed dipping ever so slightly, a warm puff of air closer to her and finally a warm pair of lips were pressed against her own.

Distantly she heard the voices again but it was as though they were being spoken from underwater until that one husky voice broke through her senses as it moved away from her. "Yeah okay Katie I'll go get it now."

The warmth left her completely, even the hand touching her own and she heard footsteps moving away from her.

Chancing it she opened her eyes, and stared at the empty room across from her before raising that same hand that had been encased in warmth to her lips, touching the same place that another pair of lips had been.

"Fuck…"

.

.

**So…errr yeah, I know I know we're moving forwards..slowly…**

**So I mentioned earlier that this was being delivered to you just in time, and that's because tomorrow morning I'm going away…Cyprus, Perhaps. By myself. Spend some time, by myself… ;)**

**I am actually going to Cyprus for a couple of weeks where I shall be celebrating / commiserating being another year older, so your next update is, well pending shall we say. Perhaps I may write on holiday, or perhaps not. One cannot say. But I hope this tides you over for the time being :)**

**See you on the flip side lovely people, and if you feel the need to grace me with a birthday gift, then reviews are accepted with the greatest thanks, be they good or bad :)**


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